The peloton is gearing up for the decisive stages of the week.
The longest stage of the race travelled from Volterra, the site of several novels written by Valerio Massimo Manfredi, to Gualdo Tadino, a small town in Umbria with a troubled history, especially during the Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, when its presence on the Via Flaminia made it a target for many.
Rain ended up being the main difficulty of this 225km day, making for a low average speed until the final twenty kilometers, when the peloton decided to ramp up the pace. This poured led into many of the sprinters’ legs, who lost positions or were even left behind before the flamme rouge. A crash on a wet corner disrupted the finale, leaving only a handful of riders in the frame, and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious) was the one who prevailed from that group.
First Soudal Quick-Step rider home was Kasper Asgreen, who made a jump of four places in the overall standings and is now separated from the top ten by just a couple of seconds. Tirreno-Adriatico continues Thursday with a stage for the baroudeurs finishing in Giulianova, but also the puncheurs could have a chance of featuring in the fight for victory.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
Kasper Asgreen 
