Magnier won stage 18 in Pieve di Soligo by completing a hat-trick of victories, finishing first in a bunch sprint after 171km. Jasper Stuyven set him up in the final high-speed turns, leading Magnier into the last tricky corner and providing the line for his final acceleration. Edoardo Zambanini finished second and Jonathan Milan third on an undulating route from Fai della Paganella in Trentino. Magnier’s stage wins also moved him into the lead of the points classification. Jonas Vingegaard attacked on the short, sharp final climb inside the last 10km but stayed with the main group to preserve his overall lead of 4:03 with three stages remaining. A four-man break formed early and was caught with about 25km to go.
"Paul Magnier of Soudal Quick-Step completed a hat-trick of victories in this Giro d'Italia by winning a bunch sprint on stage 18 in Pieve di Soligo. The 22-year-old Frenchman was perfectly set up by his teammate Jasper Stuyven in the final few high-speed turns and powered to the line, after 171km of racing, ahead of two Italian sprinters. Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious) was second with Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) third on an undulating stage that began in Fai della Paganella in Trentino."
"Victory for Magnier, who also won the first and third stages in Bulgaria, means he takes the lead in the points classification. Jonas Vingegaard, the overall race leader, attacked on the day's short sharp final climb inside the final 10km, but eventually settled for a place in the main bunch to preserve his big lead. The Dane (Team Visma-Lease A Bike) is attempting to complete his set of Grand Tour triumphs and leads by 4:03 minutes with three stages left."
"The 171km stage came alive after a four-man break of Mattia Bais (Polti-VisitMalta), Andrea Mifsud (Polti-VisitMalta), Jonas Geens (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and James Shaw (EF Education-EasyPost) was caught with around 25 km to go. The 1.1km Il Muro di Ca del Poggio ramp, with gradients of 19%, provided a sharp sting in the tail and for a while it looked like Vingegaard might go for the stage win. Jonas Vingegaard in pink among the peloton passing a vineyards from Fai della Paganella to Pieve di Soligo."
"Afonso Eulalio, who recovered from a crash earlier in the day, also sensed an opportunity. But in the end it was a day for the sprinters and Soudal Quick-Step played the perfect hand as Stuyven led Magnier into the final tricky corner, giving his young teammate the perfect line for his final burst of acceleration to the line. I had a lot of confidence this morning, said Magnier, who also wore the race leader's Maglia Rosa jersey after his earlier stage wins."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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