Everybody Hits the Deck: Ballerini Takes Unexpected Stage Win in Naples

Davide Ballerini can thank the slippery cobblestones of Naples as he triumphs in Piazza del Plebiscito. In the highly technical and treacherous finale through the Neapolitan city — made even more dangerous by a few drops of rain — the rider from XDS Astana Team was one of the very few not to hit the ground in the final corner, suddenly finding the door wide open for his first-ever victory at the Corsa Rosa.
On his wheel came the other survivor, Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step), who, however, never managed to come out of his slipstream over the final 200 metres.
Third place went to Maglia Ciclamino Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), forced to put a foot down in the crash, but impressively strong in getting back on the bike and fighting his way onto the podium.

Four-man breakaway on the road to Naples

After the scenic and prestigious start in Paestum, the impression was that nobody really had the desire or motivation to go on the attack. But after around ten kilometres, Edward Planckaert and Luca Vergallito (Alpecin–Deceuninck) lit the fuse, and a few kilometres later they were joined by Martin Marcellusi, Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group Bardiani–CSF Faizanè) and Mattia Bais (Team Polti VisitMalta).

The stage unfolded fairly smoothly, with the breakaway never managing to stretch its advantage beyond one minute, while the GC favourites stayed safely tucked near the back of the peloton to avoid trouble through the many towns crossed by the route. With thousands of fans lining the roads to show their support, the breakaway was reeled in 36 km from the finish, while Filippo Magli (VF Group Bardiani–CSF Faizanè) claimed the Red Bull KM, and a quietly opportunistic Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto) picked up 2 bonus seconds that certainly won’t hurt.

This set up the much-anticipated sprint finish in central Naples — the fourth consecutive sprint, but the first ever in Piazza del Plebiscito. Unibet Tietema Rockets had executed everything to perfection until the final corner with 400 metres to go, when Elmar Reinders touched the brakes on the slippery cobbles and crashed, taking down Dylan Groenewegen, then Jonathan Milan, and many others.

On the inside line, Davide Ballerini and Jasper Stuyven managed to avoid the carnage. Originally meant to lead out Matteo Malucelli and Paul Magnier respectively, they instead found themselves battling for the stage win. In the end, it was the rider from Cantù who came out on top, handing Italy its first victory of this edition. Further back, it was minimum risk and maximum reward for Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious), who safely held onto the Maglia Rosa and now prepares for tomorrow’s test of endurance on Blockhaus

Results

STAGE RESULT

1 – Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana Team) – 141 km in 3h19’30”, average speed 42.406 km/h
2 – Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step) s.t.
3 – Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) s.t.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1 – Afonso Eulalio (Bahrain Victorious)
2 – Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates XRG) – 2’51”
3 – Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana Team) – 3’34”

CLICK HERE to check all the rankings.

Shortly after crossing the finish line, stage winner Davide Ballerini said: “I thought I could win a stage at the Giro, but certainly not this one and not in this way. Today, our sprinter was Matteo Malucelli, but when we entered the final corner, I saw two riders go down. They told me to go for it. I was hoping the finish line would come quickly, but it was still quite far away and I was on the limit. Fortunately, I made it. I’ve finally won a stage of the Giro d’Italia!”