The 20th stage of the Italian Grand Tour was dominated by Damiano Caruso, who claimed victory in the final mountain stage. Currently second in the overall standings, Caruso made a decisive move approximately fifty kilometers from the finish line, breaking away from the leading group and maintaining his position at the front until the final meters. Romain Bardet accompanied him, but was unable to respond to Caruso’s attack two kilometers from the finish line. Ultimately, Egan Bernal finished second, putting him in a strong position to secure the overall victory, heading into the final time trial with a lead of almost two minutes.
The Czech representative Jan Hirt put up a brave fight, staying with Bernal’s group for a long time. Although he dropped back in the final kilometers, his 11th place finish is certainly commendable. On the other hand, Peter Sagan finished far back in the field, as expected, with the Slovak rider’s main objective for the day being to finish within the time limit.
The final standings of the 20th stage are as follows:
1. Damiano Caruso (ITA) Bahrain – Victorious 4:27:53
2. Egan Bernal (COL) INEOS Grenadiers +24 s
3. Daniel Felipe Martínez (COL) INEOS Grenadiers +35
4. Romain Bardet (FRA) Team DSM +35
5. João Almeida (POR) Deceuninck – Quick Step +41
6. Simon Yates (GBR) +51
7. Alexandr Vlasov (RUS) Astana – Premier Tech +1:13 min
8. Hugh Carthy (GBR) EF Education – Nippo +1:29
9. Lorenzo Fortunato (ITA) EOLO-Kometa +2:07
10. Antonio Pedrero (ESP) Movistar Team
11. Jan Hirt (CZE) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert +2:23
In the overall standings after the 20th stage (pink jersey):
1. Egan Bernal (COL) INEOS Grenadiers 85:41:47
2. Damiano Caruso (ITA) Bahrain-Victorious +1:59 min
3. Simon Yates (GBR) Team Bikeexchange +3:23
4. Alexandr Vlasov (RUS) Astana-Premier Tech +7:07
5. Romain Bardet (FRA) Team DSM +7:48
6. Daniel Felipe Martínez (COL) INEOS Grenadiers +7:56
7. Hugh Carthy (GBR) EF Education-Nippo +8:22
8. João Almeida (POR) Deceuninck – Quick Step +8:50
9. Tobias Foss (NOR) Team Jumbo-Visma +12:39
10. Daniel Martin (IRL) Israel-Start Up Nation +16:48
The points classification after the 20th stage (purple jersey):
1. Peter Sagan (SVK) Bora – Hansgrohe 136 points
2. Davide Cimolai (ITA) Israel Start-Up Nation 118
3. Fernando Gaviria (COL) UAE Teams Emirates 116
4. Elia Viviani (ITA) COFIDIS, Solutions Crédits 86
5. Egan Bernal (COL) INEOS Grenadiers 80
6. Dries de Bondt (BEL) Alpecin-Fénix 71
7. Andrea Pasqualon (ITA) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert 61
8. Simone Consonni (ITA) Cofidis 60
9. Umberto Marengo (ITA) Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè 57
10. Alberto Bettiol (ITA) EF Education-Nippo 53
The mountains classification after the 20th stage (blue jersey):
1. Geoffrey Bouchard (FRA) AG2R Citroën Team 184 points
2. Egan Bernal (COL) INEOS Grenadiers 140
3. Damiano Caruso (ITA) Bahrain-Victorious 99
4. Daniel Martin (IRL) Isral Start-Up Nation 83
5. Simon Yates (GBR) Team Bikeexchange 61
6. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-Quick-Step 54
7. Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek – Segafredo 53
8. Lorenzo Fortunato (ITA) EOLO-Kometa Cycling Team 52
9. Romain Bardet (FRA) Team DSM 49
10. Michael Storer (AUS) Team DSM 46
The young rider classification after the 20th stage (white jersey):
1. Egan Bernal (COL) INEOS Grenadiers 85:41:47
2. Alexandr Vlasov (RUS) Astana-Premier Tech +7:07
3. Daniel Felipe Martínez (COL) INEOS Grenadiers +7:56
4. João Almeida (POR) Deceuninck – Quick Step +8:50
5. Tobias Foss (NOR) Team Jumbo-Visma +12:39
As the race heads into the final time trial, the competition is heating up, with Bernal in a strong position to secure the overall victory. The battle for the podium spots remains intense, with Caruso, Yates, and Vlasov all in contention. Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of the Giro d’Italia.