Giro d’Italia 2021 - Stage 12 LIVE: Rolling roads another test for Egan Bernal
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Updated 20/05/2021 at 17:47 GMT
Colombia’s Egan Bernal strengthened his grip on the pink jersey after a mesmerising ride over the Tuscan dirt roads on Stage 11 to Montalcino from the break. Russia’s Aleksandr Vlasov is up to second place in the general classification after Remco Evenepoel’s day to forget on the gruelling gravel saw the Belgian tyro drop to seventh. What will unfold on Stage 12?
Giro d'Italia 2021 Stage 12 Profile
Seven seconds for Nibali
The Sicilian takes a confidence-boosting handful of seconds there after his late show, which did some damage by forcing a response by Ineos resulting in that crash from Gianni Moscon. The peloton came home just over 10 minutes down on the winner Andrea Vendrame.
Nibali still with a gap
The double Giro winner goes under the flamme rouge with a small gap over the pack. He'll take a few seconds back today... Moscon, meanwhile, is back on after his fall.
CRASH: Moscon goes down!
And that's exactly why there was no point in chasing Nibali... Gianni Moscon loses his front wheel on a bend and he hits the deck while trying to follow Nibali. He's okay but that was a totally unnecessary fall for Moscon - who took the Shark's bait hook, line and sinker.
Nibali pushing on the descent
Meanwhile, over 10 minutes back, Vincenzo Nibali is pushing things on the descent, putting the pressure on Ineos Grenadiers. There's really no need for them to risk anything chasing the Shark - but the double Giro champion will continue asking those questions and seeing whether he'll speak a response...
Victory for Andrea Vendrame!
In the end it's a routine win for the Italian from Ag2R-Citroen who finally has his big breakthrough win - and that was a brilliant victory for the 26-year-old who gave Chris Hamilton no chance. Brambilla took a distant third after annoying Bennett ahead of the finish by cutting up the Kiwi, sparking the latest gesticulation in their ongoing spat.
Last kilometre
Vendrame went clear with 2km to go but the Australian - despite his anti-aero style - somehow managed to claw his way back. The Italian then eases up to preserve a little bit of energy ahead of the final klick, checking over his shoulder to make sure that the others are not going to return to the fold.
Neither has won a WorldTour race before although Vendrame has two pro wins to his name - including the 2019 Tro Bro Leon.
3km to go: Hamilton and Vendrame go clear
The Australian goes early and takes the Italian with him. Meanwhile, Bennett and Brambilla are bickering behind - and they seem prepared to lose this stage over a petty argument.
4km to go: Quartet reach the bottom
The four leaders have got though the descent unscathed and it's going to be a very nervy finale. Brambilla has another early pop before Bennett and Hamilton come through. Vendrame looks to be almost laughing - he knows he's the big favourite, but has his efforts on the climb knocked the stuffing out of him?
7km to go: Wet descent
There are still patches of moisture and rain on the descent - especially in the shade and under the trees - and this could really spice things up. That move from Brambilla was snuffed out so we still have the four escapees together. Behind, the Nibali-Ciccone tandem move is really coming to nothing, the two Trek teammates pegged back by Gianni Moscon on the downhill segment of the climb before Bernal bridges over and it's back to the status quo.
Giulio Ciccone attacks! Then Nibali!
The Italian decides to light the torch paper from the main pack with an opportune attack. And then Vincenzo Nibali also has a pop - the Sicilian veteran joining forces with his Trek teammate just ahead of the pack. They pass by Diego Ulissi, who was in the break earlier, as Brambilla mirrors the action on the front of the race with an attack of his own on the descent.
10km to go: Brambilla takes KOM points
The Kiwi Bennett puts in an attack but it's closed down before Brambilla is next to have a pop. But they've run out of climb - and all four go over the summit of this climb together with Brambilla leading the way.
13km to go: Hamilton catches Vendrame
The Australian manages to ride up to the Italian, but they're shortly joined by Bennett and Brambilla - the only previous Giro stage winner here. Still a few kilometres of this climb to go. Visconti, meanwhile, rides 40 seconds in arrears and looks to be out of the equation. So he won't be adding to the brace of wins he took in 2013.
15km to go: 10 seconds for Vendrame
The lone leader has 10 seconds on a chasing trio of Bennett, Hamilton and Brambilla, with Edet and Visconti a further 10 seconds back. It's an astonishing ride from the 26-year-old Italian, who is more of a sprinter than a climber - and will certainly be a favourite if these riders come to the finish together.
18km to go: Another dig from Brambilla
The Italian continues to shake things up with his multiple digs and this time only Hamilton, Edet, Vendrame, Bennett and Visconti can follow with Bouchard, th eblue jersey, dropping back. Once things settle again, it's the New Zealand champion Bennett who then puts in an attack. Visconti is out the back as Vendrame shows his knowledge of the parcours by coming through and attacking just as the road heads down on a short downhill stretch.
20km to go: Cat.3 Passo del Carnaio
Our leaders are onto that climb, which is 10.8km long at 5% - and the first dig comes from Gianluca Brambilla of Trek-Segafredo. He takes Ravanelli, Visconti, Hamilton and Bennett with him before some of the others manage to bridge over. But that's whittled things down a little...
22km to go: De Bondt wins sprint
The Belgian takes the second intermediate sprint ahead of Ravanelli and Albanese as the breakaway approaches the foot of the final climb with a lead of 12 minutes over the Ineos-led main pack.
26km to go: Trio rejoin the leaders
Bouchard, Tesfatsion and Petilli have made the connection so it's just Niv and Ulissi off the back now. Bouchard, the blue jersey, clearly doesn't like these descents because that's the second time he's been tailed off - which doesn't bode well for the final descent to the finish following the fourth and final climb.
35km to go: Break fragments on descent
Bouchard, Tesfatsion, Petilli, Niv and Ulissi are all off the pace as 10 riders from the break have opened up a gap. But the gaps are still small and they could yet live to contest the win today.
43km to go: Campenaerts caught by pack
The Belgian TT specialist and Hour Record holder is swept up after being tailedd off by the breakaway on that wet previous descent. The gap is still above 10 minutes for the leaders, who are splitting up a little on this fast, twisting ride to the foot of the final climb.
48km to go: Bouchard takes KOM points
An odd one, that. De Bondt opens up the sprint to the summit but then slows and waves Bouchard through. Very peculiar - they're not teammates or compatriots... Perhaps he was just being polite? In any case, that's another 18pts for the Frenchman, who extends his lead over Bernal to 36pts in the blue jersey standings. He's on 96pts now.
50km to go: De Bondt back on
The Belgian champion has rejoined the leaders so we're just lacking Campenaerts from the initial break now. Brambilla's been doing a lot of pulling on this climb but it's now Vendrame doing the honours. We can surely expect his teammate Bouchard to step up and push for those KOM points over the summit. The gap is back up to 12 minutes again.
We have three Giro stage winners in this break and they're all Italian: Brambilla has won once, Visconti twice, and Ulissi eight times - the most of any other rider in the entire race.
Kobe Goosens has abandoned
We're hearing that Lotto Soudal are down to four riders now following the withdrawal of Kobe Goosens, who apparently went down in the same crash that ended Alessandro De Marchi's race today.
55km to go: Ganna back on the front
Filippo Ganna has returned to the nose of the pleoton for Ineos Grenadiers, whose riders are now collectively putting their rain capes back on with another shower approaching. The gap stretched to 12 minutes but it's back to just under 10 minutes now. Guy Niv is just about to rejoin the main break after Simone Petilli also bridged over. So it's just Victor Campenaerts and Dries De Bondt from the original 16 riders who are no longer there. We don't have an official time check but they're probably within a minute of the leaders.
58km to go: Tesfatsion catches the leaders
The 21-year-old makes the connection after his big effort to bridge over from the chase group. And it looks like we may have some sunshine again soon. It's Brambilla who sets the tempo with Hamilton in his wheel. Meanwhile, Bouchard, Edet and Visconti also have the leaders in their sights so the break is coming back together after the damage of the long wet descent.
60km to go: Tesfatsion rallies
The Eritrean has caught and passed the chase group and now trails the leaders by 18 seconds. Great stuff.
64km to go: Cat.2 Passo della Calla
We're onto this long 16.2km ascent with its average gradient of a gentle 5.3%. The pack - still being led by Ineos through the rain - is nine minutes back. Ulissi, Bennett and Vendrame have joined the leaders. The chase group is Bouchard, De Bondt, Visconti Edet, Petilli and Niv. While Testatsion and Campenaerts appear to be a bit further back.
65km to go: Six clear
Ravanelli, Honore, Hamilton, Albanese and Brambilla are now on the front having ridden clear of the other escapees on the wet descent. Campanearts and Tesfatsion bring up the rear almost a minute back. The next climb is approaching...
70km to go: Breaks in the break
Bouchard, De Bondt, Visconti, Edet, Petilli and Niv have been dropped, while Tesfatsion and Campenaerts are further back. The Belgian hasn't even managed to zip up his jacket. Not has Lawrence Naesen back in the pack - and the Belgian comes a cropper, loses balance and comes down by the barriers on the right. He'll be okay - that was a low-speed impact - but still. Not idea;.
74km to go: Cani e gatti
Blimey, it's raining cats and dogs now - an almighty dump over the breakaway, which could be blown apart by a combination of this poor weather and the descent because already they're all stretched out in varying degrees of clothing cover. The main pack still hasn't reached the summit but there's been a collective zipping up of jackets there instigated by Ineos Grenadiers on the front.
76km to go: Serious rain now
George Bennett is grappling not with one - but two - rain jackets as the heavens open over the breakaway, who are on a little ledge ahead of the descent. The New Zealander must be cold because he's put on an under jacket gilet and then another rain cape over the top - albeit after a big struggle that almost saw him lose control.
80km to go: Bouchard bags more KOM points
It's another 18pts in the jersey pocket for the Frenchman who goes over the top ahead of De Bondt and Petilli. Bouchard now has a big 30-point lead over Bernal - and he can still add a maximum of 27 points today. The gap is now over nine minutes for the breakaway. Meanwhile, back in the pack Michael Hepburn of Team BikeExchange drops a chain in the middle of the pack, causing a little bit of mild chaos. Teammate Simon Yates clips him but just avoids a collision, but that minor flashpoint is over in a jiffy.
85km to go: It's started to rain
Not heavily, but it's rain all the same - and that could make the remaining descents fairly tricky. For now, it's a continuation of the status quo except with Salvatore Puccio on the front for Ineos Grenadiers and not Filippo Ganna, who's taking a breather in second wheel. The gap for the break is still 8'15" so one of those 16 riders is all but certain to win in Bagni di Romagna.
90km to go: Cat.2 Passo della Consuma
It's time to climb: the race has hit this 17.1km ascent which has an average gradient of 5.7%. Of these 16 leaders in the break you have to fancy the chances of Bouchard, Brambilla, Visconti, Edet, Ulissi, Bennett or Hamilton - they are the best climbers in this solid collection of riders.
95km to go: Calm after the storm
Those tuning into today would think that the entire stage has been a breeze. Far from it: there was a brutal fight to make the break today and it didn't go clear for 65km. We also had five abandonments in the opening third of the stage: Gino Mader (Bahrain-Victorious), Fausto Masnada (Deceuninck Quick-Step), Alessandro De Marchi and Alex Dowsett (Israel Start-Up Nation) and Marc Soler (Movistar).
It's only since the break went and we passed over that first climb that things started to settle. Ineos still hold the reins as they approach the second climb with the 16-man break holding a lead of 8'20".
102km to go: Who is Natnael Tesfatsion?
It's great to see the Eritrean in the break today - and not for the first time in this Giro. The 21-year-old Grand Tour debutant is the fifth Eritrean rider to compete in the Giro after Merhawi Kudus (2016), Natnael Behane and Daniel Teklehaimanot (2017) and Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (2019). My colleage Tom Owen had written a nice profile on the Androni Giacattoli rider:
Natnael Tesfatsion might just be one of the most talented GC riders we've ever seen out of Africa. He is the reigning champion of the Tour du Rwanda and also has a second place overall at La Tropical Amissa Bongo to his name, but this year he makes the step up from NTT Conti dev team to Androni Giocattoli, and he's already been making a nuisance of himself in WorldTour stage races...
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Natnael Tesfatsion in action in Italy for Androni Gioccatoli Sidermec
Image credit: Getty Images
112km to go: Ineos continue Ineos'ing
The British-owned team continue riding on the front with all six of their pawns, plus their pink king Bernal. They trail the break by eight minutes and 4.5km as they continue along this ridge ahead of the descent to the foot of the next climb. It's Ganna - of course it is - who is setting the tempo.
120km to go: Call of nature for Bernal
The pace in the pack is knocked off after they go over the summit and the pink jersey stops for a leak. That will be music to the ears of the many, many riders to be tailed off on the climb under the pace being set by that man Filippo Ganna who, were he not such a nice and massive unit, might be quite an unpopular chap in the peloton, you'd think. With that, the gap for the breakaway balloons to approaching seven minutes.
126km to go: Bouchard takes KOM points
It's the Frenchman who snaffles the maximum nine points over the top of this climb to move onto 60pts in the KOM standings - that puts Bouchard 12pts clear of Egan Bernal, who is second in the blue jersey classification. The next two climbs have 18pts and the fourth climb has 9pts and so the Ag2R-Citroen rider could well build up a decent lead today.
130km to go: Bouchard leads the way
The Frenchman sets the tempo on the steeper slopes of this climb, carving his way through enormous crowds most of whom are wearing masks, thankfully, although not all. Behind, Ganna continues to set tempo for Ineos with Puccio and Moscon behind. Numerous riders have been tailed off the back of the pack on this climb, which is no surprise given the combination of the heat, the fierce tempo ridden so far, and the terrain from here to the finish.
132km to go: Cat.3 Monte Morello
We're well onto this first categorised climb now - a 7.2km test at 6.3% average gradient - with a maximum ramp of an unforgiving 20%. The break's lead has stabilised at around 5'20" with Ineos Grenadiers now controlling the front of the peloton for their man in pink, Egan Bernal. Is the Colombian a shoo-in for the overall win - or is he going all-guns blazing too early in this race? Click below for more...
134km to go: Fausto Masnada abandons
My, they're falling like flies today as the efforts of yesterday's titanic stage catches up with some of the peloton. The latest rider to withdraw today is Fausto Masnada - and that will be a blow for Remco Evenepoel for the Italian was one of his key mountain lieutenants. That's the first Deceuninck Quick-Step rider to leave this Giro.
136km to go: De Bondt wins intermediate sprint
The Belgian national champion Dries De Bondt darts clear to win the intermediate sprint at Sesto Fiorentino. No one contested that so it was a sure-fire thing for the Alpecin-Fenix rider, who was in the 11-man break yesterday over the Tuscan gravel. Now the road heads uphill on the first climb...
140km to go: Visconti joins leaders
Giovanni Visconti (Bardiani-CSF) has managed to join the breakaway so we now have 16 riders clear with a growing gap of four minutes because Nicolas Edet (Cofidis) is also there.
142km to go Gino Mader abandons
And another big-name rider to throw in the towel: the Stage 6 winner Gino Mader (Bahrain-Victorious) leaves his debut Grand Tour after he was also involved in that early crash this morning in the opening kilometre. Bahrain have next to no-one to support Pello Bilbao and Damiano Caruso now following the earlier withdrawals of Mikel Landa and Matej Mohoric, both after horrific crashes.
145km to go: 14 riders clear
There are reinforcements in this move on the front now: Geoffrey Bouchard and Andrea Vendrame (both Ag2R-Citroen), Natnael Tesfatsion (Androni Giacattoli), Simone Petilli (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert), Guy Niv (Israel Start-Up Nation), George Bennett (Jumbo-Visma), Chris Hamilton (Team DSM), Victor Campenaerts (Qhubeka-Assos) and Gianluca Brambilla (Trek-Segafredo) join the party to make a very solid 14-man group. And finally, after 65km, the day's break has finally gone!
150km to go: Alex Dowsett abandons
Things go from bad to worse for Israel Start-Up Nation. A promising first week saw Alessandro De Marchi take pink and Dan Martin go strong in the GC battle. But yesterday the Irishman dropped to nine minutes back while earlier today De Marchi was taken to hospital after a fall. We're now hearing that British TT specialist Alex Dowsett, a stage winner last year, has also called it a day - leaving the team with just five riders.
155km to go: Five go clear
With the race approaching Florence, five riders have managed to ping off the front: Dries De Bondt (Alpecin-Fenix), Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates), Simone Ravanelli (Androni Giacattoli), Vincenco Albanese (Eolo-Kometa) and Mikkel Honore (Deceuninck Quick-Step). They have about 10 seconds over a bunch of chasers.
160km to go: Marc Soler abandons
We're hearing that the Spaniard has lost his battle after that earlier crash today. He was 11th on GC at 3'19" so that's a big blow for Movistar.
165km to go: Roche and Sagan thwarted
Nico Roche is joined by the maglia ciclamino of Peter Sagan - possibly eyeing up the intermediate sprint in 30km - but they're snuffed out. And we go again...
170km to go: Still very unsettled
As the riders continue their undulating slog though the Chianti wine region that De Gendt group is swallowed up and we have yet more riders trying to get away. Nicolas Roche is trying his luck for Team DSM while George Bennett (Jumbo-Visma) looks to be in the hunt as well. The peloton is all strung out as it goes over the brow of a hill - and there have been numerous splits off the back, with Marc Soler - who crashed right at the start - many minutes back.
172km to go: De Gendt on the hunt
Giovanni Carboni (Bardiani-CSF) and Stefano Oldani (Lotto Soudal) try to bridge over to the leaders but it comes to nothing and sparks a dig by Thomas De Gendt once they're reeled in. Perhaps Oldani was always just paving the way for his Belgian teammate? In any case, he joins Bevin and Bouchard as they start another uphill section - but the front of the pack are closing in so it looks like it will come to nothing and the counter will be set to zero once again.
178km to go: Action on front and back
Marc Soler continues to ride with a Movistar teammate way off the back - and they have company in Swiss youngster Gino Mader, who also came down in that crash in the opening kilometre. Mader won Stage 6 to Ascoli Piceno a day after his Bahrain-Victorious leader Mikel Landa crashed out of the race.
On the front, we have the blue jersey Geoffrey Bouchard (Ag2R-Citroen) and the New Zealander Patrick Bevin of Israel Start-Up Nation who have opened up a decent lead on a bunch of chasers. Soler and Mader will be banking on this break establishing itself fast so things can settle and they can rejoin the peloton.
182km to go: De Marchi out of the race
Alessandro De Marchi is now in an ambulance and will be taken to hospital. We still don't know what happened to the Italian but let's hope he's okay. The Israel Start-Up Nation wore pink for two days in the opening week and he was on the attack earlier today before being involved in an unknown incident. For now, all we have is this tweet from the team:
186km to go: Mosca and Honore clear
Jacopo Mosca (Trek-Segafredo) kicks clear on a descent before being joined by Mikkel Honore (Deceuninck Quick-Step). Once the road goes uphill again they're joined by a rider from Astana - but the front of the peloton is breathing down the trio's collective neck and it's either going to come back, or they're going to be joined and a large group will form.
Meanwhile, the helicopter is lingering on some quite shocking images from the back of the race. It looks like an Israel Start-Up Nation rider has had a bad fall and is being attended by medics on the side of the road. We're hearing it's Alessandro De Marchi and that's terrible news for the former pink jersey. We can only speculate at the moment but it looks like he crashed badly on a sweeping descent. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
195km to go: Still no break
Remi Cavagna (Deceuninck Quick-Step) and Samuele Battistella (Astana-Premier Tech) opened up a small gap but it came to nothing. They were joined by a dozen riders just off the front with Bardiani and Eolo-Kometa looking very hungry - and that man Formolo. Behind, Soler's horror start continues...
Too deep, too soon?
I'm probably clutching at straws with this one but, hey, it's good to have different opinions out there - right?
Ineos Grenadiers and their Colombian leader managed to knock Remco Evenepoel down a few pegs – while apparently sowing seeds of discomfort in the Belgian’s Deceuninck Quick-Step ranks – but Egan Bernal’s time gains on the gravel in Stage 11 to Montalcino were not huge. There were, indeed, echoes of Simon Yates’s fiery yet flawed 2018 Giro d’Italia campaign…
Like Bernal this year, Yates had won Stage 9 after finishing in second place three days earlier on the race’s first uphill finish (for Etna in 2018 we have the less explosive San Giacomo climb above Ascoli Piceno in 2021). Yates then doubled up his stage tally while in pink in Stage 11 – effectively what the Colombian did on Wednesday, powering home in Montalcino ahead of all his rivals and only behind a breakaway which his team allowed to leave.
Yates took his first pink jersey that year on Stage 6, three days before Bernal. But both would represent an early moment for the eventual winner to seize control of the race. After all, the last rider to win the Giro while in pink as early as Bernal was Alberto Contador in 2015 – and even the Spaniard had a slight wobble along the way, conceding the jersey after a bad day on the Colle delle Finestre.
Don’t talk to Yates about the Finestre: it was here where the wheels of his 2018 push for pink came off the bus. Pedalling squares and going backwards just two days from the finish in Rome, Yates crumbled as Chris Froome soloed to glory, falling to eighteenth place in the process.
Nobody expects Egan Bernal to have such a dramatic collapse – especially while in such seemingly indomitable form. But then we didn’t expect it of Yates, either. And if, as Bernal has us to believe, he still feels pain in his back on a daily basis, surely he’s always just one bad day away from imploding like he did on the Grand Colombier in last year’s Tour?
200km to go: Soler still struggling
We didn't see the Spaniard go down in that early spill but he's seems to be in a world of pain. He keeps touching his back and he now has a teammate with him as they ride either behind or alongside the Movistar car. He's probably hoping that the break will soon go and then the pace in the pack will slow enough to allow him back once he's rubbed off this knock. But for now he seems to be pedalling squares and going backwards. He rose one place to 11th yesterday - 3'19" down on Bernal on GC.
205km to go: Active start
Andrea Pasqualon (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) joined Fiorelli on the front but Pellaud brought over a raft of riders and it was all consumed by the peloton once again. Meanwhile, Soler is still struggling behind the Movistar car off the back. He's clearly in a spot of bother after that fall.
Geoffrey Bouchard (Ag2R-Citroen), Alessandro De Marchi (Israel Start-Up Nation) and Davide Formolo (UAE Team Emirates) are all in the mix. The Frenchman is in the blue jersey and so will be keen to add a few points to his slender lead over Egan Bernal today. De Marchi picked up the pink jersey in the opening week for a day or two but missed out on that elusive Giro stage win. Formolo, meanwhile, was one of the big losers yesterday and is now nine minutes down on GC.
208km to go: Crash near the back of the pack
A dozen riders come to a standstill with mixed levels of pain and prangs following a touch of wheels near the back of the peloton. One big name involved is Marc Soler of Movistar, who is now riding back behind his team car. He should get back but he's touching his shoulder a little. Meanwhile, on the front there's a counter attack led by Simon Pellaud of Androni Giocattoli, who coaxes a response by a handful of others.
212km to go: they're off!
The flag is waved and the stage is under way with an instant attack from a Bardiani-CSF rider - Filippo Fiorelli. No reaction from anyone else - although New Zealand's George Bennett (Junbo-Visma) looked to be chomping at the bit. Bennett was on the offensive yesterday with his teammate and now GC man Tobias Foss before fading on the gravel - he's now 20 minutes down and so may fancy salvaging something from this race.
Riders in the neutral zone
Today's stage is 212km of rolling roads through Tuscany and into Emilia-Romagna with a finish in Bagno di Romagna after four categorised climbs and roads which hardly ever run flat. "With all those climbs this could turn out to be a real killer of a day - it just depends who wants to ride," says Sean Kelly. Here's the profile...
Good morning and welcome to Stage 12
Ciao ragazzi! It's an early start today after all the drama of yesterday's gravel stage - with the remaining 170 riders already in the Piazza del Campo in the centre of Siena and ready to roll out of the city and through the neutral zone ahead of today's stage.
‘Throwing his toys out the pram – he lost his head!’
Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-QuickStep) “threw his toys out the pram” and “lost his head a bit” after being distanced on Stage 11 at the Giro d’Italia, according to Eurosport expert Sean Kelly, who also sympathised with the wonderkid.
The Belgian was exposed on the white gravel roads of Tuscany after Ineos Grenadiers had set a fierce tempo on the front, with teammate Joao Almeida initially not dropping back in support of him.
The 21-year-old, who is making his competitive return from a horror crash last year, was visibly angry at being left on his own and was spotted ripping out his communication device.
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‘Throwing his toys out the pram – he lost his head!’ – Kelly on Evenepoel drama
Stage 11 report: Bernal strengthens grip on pink
The Colombian dropped Emanuel Buchmann on the uphill ramp to the line to strengthen his grip on the pink jersey with an 11th place on the day after some superb work from his Ineos Grenadiers team.
Aleksandr Vlasov leads the others, ahead of both Simon Yates and Hugh Carthy... oh, and the sorry figure of Remco Evenepoel, who shipped over two minutes to Bernal.
Bernal is now 45 seconds clear at the top with British duo Yates and Carthy up onto the top five and Evenepoel dropping to seventh at 2'22".
Here's all the news from today's stage condensed into one story... plus the video below...
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