Afonso Eulálio retained the Maglia Rosa and Maglia Bianca after Stage 13 of the Giro d’Italia, completing the 189km stage from Alessandria to Verbania safely with his teammates before the race heads into the Alps.
Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana Team) took the stage victory from the breakaway, with Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) second and Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step) third.
The stage was mostly flat for much of the day, crossing Piedmont towards Lake Maggiore, before the final part brought two short climbs and a fast run into Verbania. A strong 15-rider breakaway went clear early and built a large advantage, with the GC teams choosing not to chase after no direct threat to the overall lead was represented in the move.
For the squad, the priority was clear: keep Eulálio protected, avoid unnecessary risks and bring both jerseys through another day. The Portuguese rider had to deal with an early puncture, but he was quickly brought back to the peloton and remained well positioned with the team for the rest of the stage.
In the final kilometres, Bettiol made the decisive move on the climb to Ungiasca, catching and passing Leknessund near the top before holding his advantage on the descent and the flat run to the finish. Behind, the GC contenders finished together, with no major changes among the overall favourites.
For Eulálio and the team, it was another controlled day in the Maglia Rosa and Maglia Bianca, and an important step before one of the key mountain stages of this Giro.
Afonso Eulálio said:
“Today was perfect for us. We kept the jerseys, the Maglia Rosa and the Maglia Bianca, and the team did a perfect job again, like they have done every day.
At the start it was super fast because everyone wanted to go in the breakaway, as it was a good stage for the break. But the team kept me calm and protected really well in the bunch. We did a perfect job, like we have been doing until now.
I hope the team is enjoying these days like I am, because what we are living now is incredible for me. I just need to say thank you to all the team.
In the final, the GC guys arrived together, so we stayed safe and kept the jerseys. That is perfect. Tomorrow is a different stage, with a long climb at the start and a long climb at the end. We will try to survive, keep fighting, and that’s it.”
Franco Pellizotti, Sports Director added:
“Today was a super fast stage, but the riders managed the breakaway pretty well and in the end we saved the day. They had to pull a lot, but the time gap to the GC group was always under control.
It was a hot day today, and tomorrow will also be hot, but we managed it well with the extra feed zones and with a lot of ice from the car.
Tomorrow we are expecting a very hard stage, probably one of the hardest of this Giro. I think teams like Visma will control the stage. There will be breakaways, but we are here, we have done a great Giro until now, and we have to go step by step.
It will be a super hard start tomorrow, and after the first climb we will see how many riders we still have in front. It is a hard stage for us, especially after nine days in the Maglia Rosa. The riders have had to work a lot during these days, and tomorrow I think other teams will also have to work a lot, not only to gain time. We hope to survive well in the end, but for sure we will keep fighting tomorrow.”
Tomorrow’s Stage 14 takes the race from Aosta to Pila over 133km, with more than 4,200 metres of climbing and a summit finish that is expected to bring the GC battle back to the front. After another strong day of teamwork, Eulálio will start the stage still leading both the general classification and the young rider classification.
