Giro d'Italia stage 18 LIVE: Late climb in otherwise mostly flat day complicates life for the sprinters
The race's penultimate sprint showdown comes at the end of a 167km stage
This is hardly prime terrain for breakways to go clear,with the road for the upcoming 40km mostly slightly downhill, but still riders are trying to make moves.
Jai Hindley has been held up for some reason, and has to make his way back to the peloton.
It's a scorching day out there in Italy.
The gradient is now rolling up and down, but there aren't any climbs as tough as the first until considerably later in the stage.
Those attacks came together, but Bais has attacked again, this time with his teammate Mifsud.
New attack, as Nelson Oliveira and Bais go clear.
This is interesting - Jhonatan Narváez is riding right at the front of the peloton on this descent. Will he try and get up the road and helo form a break?
This chase group is getting bigger and bigger - up to about 20 riders.
A large counter group is forming behind those two leaders of about 15 riders.
More moves keep coming, but a new one from Garofoli and Bais is the first to get a gap.
So the race is all together and we have no breakaway.
Jabobs' lead disappeared on that climb, and he's been caught as they descend, along with all the chasers behind him.
Kubiš's attack wasn't enough to force a gap.
Kubiš attacks again, and a long line of riders follow him.
The two López have caught Magli, and been joined by Hamilton of Picnic.
Up ahead, Magli is struggling on the climb and has been dropped by Jacobs.
Two López are on the attack - Juan Pedro of Movistar, and Harold Martín of Astana.
Stannard and that group have been caught.
Robert Stannard is one of them and has gone clear of the rest.
Five riders have jumped out of the peloton on the climb, and more are trying to join them.
The pace is up on the peloton as they climb, with Ganna struggling to hold on at the back.
The riders are on the uphill now.
The pace has dropped off in the peloton, with the two leaders being allowed just over a minute and Kopecký 40 seconds. But the climb is imminent, and if the pattern is repeated from previous stages, this is where the pace will increase again and more committed attacks be made.
Jacobs and Magli at the front of the race.
Matyáš Kopecký is the Rose Rockets rider.
They're caught, and a Rose Rockets rider counters.
A new move in the peloton, this time instigated by Juul-Jensen.
160KM TO GO
They've been racing for about 10km, and the two leaders have grown their lead to 40 seconds.
Kubiš was also in that group, but they've been caught.
Morgado and Walshweid are both in thie group.
Many aren't waiting 'till then - about 7 more riders have just clipped off the front of the peloton.
The road is flat for now but goes up an unclassified rise in about 10km. That might be what some would-be attackers are waiting for.
The leaders have been allowed almost 30 seconds already. Surely there are more who will want to get up the road on a breakaway-friendly day like today?
Inevitably, Polti want to get involved, and Sevilla has attacked out of the peloton to try and join the two leaders.
Magli and Jacobs have 14 seconds.
Magli has been joined by Jacobs, who's been among the first toto get involved in the attacking in what feels like almost every stage.
Bardiani's Magli is the first rider to get a small gap.
The peloton is all stretched out, but nobody has got a gap of anymore than a few bikelengths yet.
The riders are still 2km away from the official start.
The race for the Maglia Rosa will be a significant subplot in today’s stage. Jhonatan Narváez leads Paul Magnier by just 12 points, and, depending on how the stage unfolds, in theory both riders could do anything from score maximum points at the finish, to none at all.
Jonas Vingegaard readying himself for another day in pink. He's only got four more days left to hang on and seal overall victory.
The riders see the flag for the official start. They’ll be starting for real in about fifteen minutes.
Another way that climb will shape the race is by discouraging the sprinter teams to chase, and therefore increasing the chances of a breakaway succeeding. So yet again, the stage is set for another big to get up the road from the start.
That late climb might only last 1.1km, but the fact it averages 11.1% (with a short stretch at about 20%), and is only 9km from the finish, makes it a serious challenge for the sprinters to get up still in contention.
There haven’t been many successes for the pure sprinters this Giro. In fact, only two stages could be said to have come down to a straightforward sprint so far, with a late crash in Napoli putting paid to most of their hopes on stage 6, and an unlikely breakaway denying them a chance to sprint in Milan on stage 15.
Now today, on another flat stage that at first glance looks like one for a bunch finish, life has been made complicated for them by a late wall close to the finish.
Hello and welcome to stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia!
