It was a frantically fast stage, raced at an average of 45kph, and the Spaniard timed his attack to perfection in the finale. He jumped away from a group including Davide Formolo (Bora-Hansgrohe) 1.5km from the line to win solo. AG2R La Mondiale rider Tony Gallopin took second place, five seconds down on Bilbao.
For his part, Formolo, who has twice finished tenth at the Giro, jumped up over a minute on GC and now lies 13th, equal on time with Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma). The pink jersey is still on the shoulders of Valerio Conti (UAE Team Emirates), though his team suffered a further loss after Juan Molano's suspension with Fernando Gaviria calling it quits during the stage.
