Giro d'Italia (st. 8)

Rojas (11th), Amador, Carapaz, Landa all within GC favourites' peloton at tortuous Pesaro finish, before 34km ITT to San Marino reduces contenders' field on Sunday.

Caleb Ewan (LTS) took the win at the end of the longest stage in the 2019 Giro d’Italia, Saturday’s 239km journey from Tortoreto Lido to Pésaro, always near the coast yet with some hills at the end which required maximum attention from the main favourites.

The Movistar Team completed the stage orderly and with no troubles, using well its different riders for different tasks. Carretero, Sütterlin, Mas and Pedrero kept their team-mates covered from wind and swerving until the last 40 kilometers, after which the expert Andrey Amador and José Joaquín Rojas worked brilliantly to help Mikel Landa and Richard Carapaz save energy.

Rojas, 11th at today’s sprint, remains in second place overall -with Amador in 9th, then Landa and Carapaz just over a minute behind the GC favourites- before Sunday’s crucial, uphill 34km ITT course between Riccione and San Marino.

— TT start times (all CEST): Sütterlin 13.09, Carretero 13.13, Mas 13.20, Pedrero 14.03, Landa 15.05, Carapaz 15.09, Amador 15.49, Rojas 16.10.

Cover picture (c): BettiniPhoto