In the space of one day, going from being in the race to win the Giro to risking finishing out of time, falling from second place in the standings to 39th with a delay of more than 25 minutes: for Esteban Chaves the longest stage of the Giro, since Penne in Gualdo Tadino, soon turned into an interminable and increasingly painful ordeal. The Colombian, who in this Giro had won the Etna stage in a big way, went into crisis – due to a respiratory allergy – on the first ramps of the 2nd category Gpm, the Fonte della Creta, which the Giro faced for the first once passing through Rigopiano in memory of the terrible tragedy and its 29 victims.
In the next descent Chaves was trying to catch up with the front group which included all the men in the standings. It seemed that the hole could be mended, because the gap was thinning down to about a minute, also thanks to the help of Elia Viviani's Quick-Step Floors, who gave regular changes to Chaves and the two supporters who Mitchelton-Scott had placed at his disposal.
A stage that was not easy to manage even for the Yates pink jersey team, with its two big names, one perky in the lead and the other in great difficulty at the back. Yates obviously didn't pull but in front there were many who pressed hard on the pedals to put one of the most fearsome opponents out of contention for the podium and so instead of reducing Chaves' disadvantage he began to climb again until he assumed the proportions of surrender when Viviani, realizing that he could no longer win the stage, he ordered his men to pull the oars into the boat.
And without the support of the Quick-Step, Chaves drifted, sucked into a group of stragglers whose only goal was now to pedal just enough to not go out of time. The disastrous verdict on the road had an immediate impact on the bookmakers' bets for the final victory, causing Chaves' price to soar from 9 to 500: a tremendous and irrevocable kappao.
However, it was Yates who kept Mitchelton-Scott's morale up in the pink jersey and also took away the satisfaction of catching Pinot again who had extended ahead of the flying finish line in Sarnano to then beat him and pocket the 3” at stake. A gesture that says a lot about Yates' desire and form, who wants to win the Giro but who knows - fearing the Rovereto time trial - that he won't be able to concede anything to his opponents starting with Dumoulin up to Froome himself - back in the top ten for Chaves' exit – who showed some signs of recovery yesterday.
“I need seconds”, replied Yates after the race to those who asked him about the winning sprint at the flying finish line. The stage with the collapse of Chaves clarified at Mitchelton, if anything there were any doubts, who is number one from today. And there are many, such as, for example, Mario Cipollini, who argue that for Pinot and Yates' other rivals, taking out Chaves was not such an advantageous move. It's true that there isn't one less opponent for the final podium but from today Chaves will be at Yates' service, a significant help for the pink jersey especially in the big mountain stages, starting from Saturday's Zoncolan.
The drama of Chaves was the dominant leitmotif of the tenth stage of the Giro which had never arrived before yesterday in Gualdo Tadino. And on the finish line in the Umbrian city he won the Motj Mohorici for the first time, on the run with other braves from the first km of the stage. The Slovenian, a young man with considerable potential, outsprinted the German Nico Denz. At 34” Sam Bennett ruled a group of about sixty riders including all the men in the classification, including Dumoulin and Carapaz who suffered punctures which complicated their stage finale. Chaves finished 135th at 25'25” from the winner.
Destroyed but still able to smile at the Rai Stage Process: “A few days ago I had one of my best days, today the worst for morale. But that's life." Teammate Yates also tried to console him, the pink jersey who, thanks to the bonus in the standings, has extended the standings by 3" over his rivals, with Dumoulin now second at 41", Pinot third at 46". Pozzovivo fourth at 1' exactly, Carapaz fifth at 1'23”. Closes the top ten Chris Froome at 2'30”. Aru is 14th at 2'39”.
