It was a battle for the stage win among the GC contenders at Monte Bondone for Stage 16 of the 2023 Giro d’Italia.
Joao Almeida tested his rivals with an attack 6km from the top that indicated that he was inclined to hunt for his first ever Grand Tour victory and he did with another acceleration that left Primoz Roglic behind. It was a duel between the Portuguese and Geraint Thomas. The Welshman missed out on the stage victory but returned in the Maglia Rosa as Bruno Armirail surrendered 10km before the end. Despite losing another important team-mate, Pavel Sivakov, in one more crash, Thomas has 18 seconds lead over Almeida and 29 seconds over Roglic.
Speaking in the press conference, the stage winner João Pedro Gonçalves Almeida said: “My first Grand Tour stage win means a lot to me, after coming second and third so many times. It was a pretty steep climb at the end, around 9 to 10%. I rode the best way I could. I was a bit surprised that Geraint [Thomas] came like a rocket. Then I suffered till the end. It was an important step forward in my career if I won the stage that I gave it all without thinking of the GC yet. I’m the same rider but with more confidence after this victory. Everything was planned and it went at perfection. I think I can win the Giro but it won’t be easy at all with Roglic and Thomas.”
The Maglia Rosa Geraint Thomas said: “I kind of got the sense that Roglic was not at 100%. I jumped across to Joao Almeida when he accelerated. We worked together towards the top. It was good. It’s obviously not ideal to lose Pavel [Sivakov] who was super strong. It seems to be the story of the race so far with crashes and sicknesses. He was a big asset in the team. Hopefully tomorrow is straight forward day, a sprint day and then we have two big days left in the mountains.”
2023 Giro d’Italia: Stage 16 Brief Results
- João Pedro Gonçalves Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) – 203 km in 5h’53’27″. 34.460 km/h
- Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) s.t.
- Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) at 25″
- Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco AlUla) s.t.
- Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) at 1’03”
General Classification After Stage 16:
- Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers)
- João Pedro Gonçalves Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) at 18″
- Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) at 29″
- Damiano Caruso (Bahrain – Victorious) at 2’50”
- Eddie Dunbar (Team Jayco – AlUla) at 3’03”
Jerseys:
- Maglia Rosa, leader of the General Classification, sponsored by Enel – Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers)
- Maglia Ciclamino, leader of the Points Classification, sponsored by Agenzia ICE with the brand Madeinitaly.gov.it – Jonathan Milan (Bahrain – Victorious)
- Maglia Azzurra, leader of the Gran Premio della Montagna, sponsored by Banca Mediolanum – Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost)
- Maglia Bianca, Best Young Rider, sponsored by Intimissimi Uomo – João Pedro Gonçalves Almeida (UAE Team Emirates)
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