‘I was never dead’ – Julian Alaphilippe rediscovers old sparkle in dramatic Giro d’Italia win

Beyond the finish line on Fano’s Via Gramsci, a platoon of Soudal-QuickStep riders had begun to assemble, giddily waiting to catch a glimpse of their leader Julian Alaphilippe, who had been whisked off into a nearby camper van to change ahead of the podium ceremony.

Alaphilippe’s remarkable victory on stage 12 of the Giro d’Italia came after a breakaway of more than 120km, largely in the company of Mirco Maestri (Polti-Kometa), but then alone for the critical final 10km from the Monte Giove to the finish.