Remco Evenepoel lets the pink jersey go to a breakaway rider

In a strategic move, with three weeks in mind, Remco Evenepoel let the pink jersey go to a member of the day’s breakaway on Tuesday’s Giro d’Italia stage in the Apennine Mountains. DSM’s Andreas Leknessund became the first Norwegian in 42 years to lead the Giro. His breakmate Aurélien Paret-Peintre took the day’s flowers.

The Course

This was as close to a summit finish we were going to get until the Gran Sasso on Friday.

Tuesday was all about three Cat. 2 climbs spread out evenly over 175 km. First on the menu was Passo delle Crocelle (13.5 km of 4.3 percent). The 5-km, 5.5 percent Muro Lucano led onto the slopes of the Valico di Monte Carruozzo (8.8 km at 4.9 percent). Finally, the 9.7-km, 6.2 percent Colle Molella crested 3 km before the finish line in Lago Laceno. It was another day of wet roads.

#Giro 🇮🇹

Away we go on day 4 🏳️

We’re going climbing today including the first summit finish of this year’s race 🏔️ pic.twitter.com/mbV3QRMAhq

— Team Jayco AlUla (@GreenEDGEteam) May 9, 2023

The route was sure to invite KOM aspirant, perhaps even the man in the azzurro jersey himself, Thibaut Pinot. Pinot seized the maximum points on Passo delle Crocelle but not from a breakaway, which was slow to form on Tuesday. On the descent of the Crocelle, a septet dashed clear and started up the Muro Lucano/Valico di Monte Carruozzo with a 3:00 lead, Leknessund the best placed on GC at +1:40. By the top of Curruozzo, the lead was 3:30.

When Remco took a natural break inside 40 km remaining, and the break’s gap jumped up to 5:20, it seemed likely that he was letting the pink go to either Leknussund (+1:40), Paret-Peintre (+2:13), Toms Skujiņš (+2:10) or Vincenzo Albanese (+2:17). They started up Carruozzo with a 4:30 gap.

Nicola Conci of Alpecin-Deceuninck was the first fugitive to make a move.

Skujiņš bridged over to Conci and then launched. Conci dribbled out the back of the breakaway group. Suddenly, it wasn’t clear that an escapee would take the pink–the Ineos-powered peloton was 3:00 back with 6 km to go. Skujiņš was reeled in and then dumped. Leknussund, Paret-Peintre and Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier were now at the sharp end of the race.

With 4.3 km to go Leknussund was solo and Evenepoel was out of teammates in the favorites group. Paret-Peintre clambered his way back over to the Norwegian and the two fought it out for the day’s honours, the Frenchman…