Giro 2019: Zakarin wins first mountain stage, Polanc holds on to pink

In terms of GC, the Giro d'Italia kicks finally into gear in stage 13 with a dramatic race. Ilnur Zakarin climbs to victory ahead of Mikel Nieve and Mikel Landa. Jan Polanc retains the maglia rosa. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 13th stage Giro d’Italia 2019

1. Ilnur Zakarin (rus)
2. Mikel Nieve (spa) + 0.35
3. Mikel Landa (spa) + 1.20
4. Richard Carapaz (ecu) + 1.38
5. Bauke Mollema (nld) + 1.45
6. Rafal Majka (pol) + 2.07
7. Primoz Roglic (slo) + 2.57
8. Vincenzo Nibali (ita) s.t.
9. Pavel Sivakov (rus) + 3.34
10. Davide Formolo (ita) + 3.50

11. Miguel Ángel López (col) + 4.19
15. Jan Polanc (slo) + 4.39
17. Simon Yates (gbr) + 5.00
21. Hugh Carthy (gbr) + 10.16

GC after stage 13
1. Jan Polanc (slo)
2. Primoz Roglic (slo) + 2.25
3. Ilnur Zakarin (rus) + 2.56
4. Bauke Mollema (nld) + 3.06
5. Vincenzo Nibali (ita) + 4.09
6. Richard Carapaz (ecu) + 4.22
7. Rafal Majka (pol) + 4.28
8. Mikel Landa (spa) + 5.08
9. Pavel Sivakov (rus) + 7.13
10. Miguel Ángel López (col) + 7.48

12. Simon Yates (gbr) + 8.14
16. Hugh Carthy (gbr) + 13.10

Race report
The pace is high from the start and attacks are flying. Riders fall off the back on an unclassified climb, while Thomas De Gendt, José Joaquin Rojas, Alexis Vuillermoz and Christopher Juul-Jensen open up a gap just before the first climb, Colle del Lys. Mollema, Amador, Zakarin, Formolo, Carretero, Gallopin, Cattaneo, Masnada, Cataldo, Izagirre, Zeits, Nibali (Antonio), Pozzovivo, De La Parte, Dombrowski, Neilands, Plaza, Nieve, Dunbar, Geoghegan Hart, Tolhoek, Brambilla, Ciccone and Conci join the front on the first uphill slopes. De Gendt falls back after a mechanical.

Ciccone pockets most KOM points at the top. In the descent Tao Geoghegan Hart hits the deck and he is forced to abandon.

Pello Bilbao accelerates on the Pian del Lupo with all pre-race favourites on his wheel. Maglia rosa Jan Polanc can’t follow the pace.

Ciccone is the first rider over the top and he regains the KOM jersey. The GC riders are 1 minute in arrears and the maglia rosa is 2.30 minutes behind.

In the valley the maglia rosa group rejoins the GC riders, while Fausto Masnada strikes just before the last climb. Ciccone, Dombrowski, Carretero and Izagirre join him straight away and the group Mollema/Zakarin/Amador tracks them down with 17 kilometres to go when the GC riders are 2 minutes behind.

Landa accelerates and Yates, Roglic, Majka and Polanc can’t follow, yet Roglic and Majka regain contact with Carapaz, Nibali, Sivakov and López. Landa is gone though, and Amador and Carretero wait for the Basque. López punctures and he joins the group Yates/Polanc.

With 5.5 kilometres remaining Mollema, Zakarin and Nieve are the only remaining leaders when the Russian rider accelerates. Landa is 1 minute behind and the group Roglic trails at 2 minutes. When Majka attacks Carapaz and Sivakov go with him, while Roglic and Nibali look at each other. At first. But when Roglic tries to drop Nibali sticks to his wheel and they gobble up Sivakov.

Nieve rejoins Zakarin inside the last 2 kilometres before the Russian gives it another go. Landa catches Mollema to leave him behind, while Zakarin solos to his first victory since 2017. In doing so, he moves up to third on GC. Roglic still sits in second and Mollema moves up to fourth overall.

Another interesting read: route 13th stage 2019 Giro d’Italia.