Jonas VINGEGAARD. 10 and praise. He wins despite a fall, like Pogacar at Strade Bianche. He wins despite seeming to have lost, because Giulio Ciccone is flying towards that endless and leg-breaking finish line that forces you to use the gear ratio, and the Dane knows how to use them very well. He wins despite his sports director - Jesper Morkov - declaring this morning on Eurosport that the real mountain finishes where Vingegaard and company will focus are others. Perhaps because the race passes through Vernate, Pinocchio's town (there's even an opera remembering the famous puppet at the town entrance) because here lived and died Attilio Mussino, one of the most famous illustrators in the puppet's history born from Carlo Collodi's imagination and for this nicknamed the "Pinocchio's uncle", but the Dane from the Land of Fairy Tales finds inspiration. Jonas has flamingo legs, but from today also Pinocchio's nose: what he says he doesn't do. The finish line smiles at him and he sprints anyway, to make it clear that he's here to do what a year ago his archrival Tadej Pogacar did (in the Giro from the second pink stage, until the end). Appetite comes with eating and every opportunity lost is lost: from fairy tales to idioms. But the Dane also likes the saying that you should strike while the iron is hot and he, the ice man, beats everyone: right from the start.

Giulio CICCONE. 9. Of course, if he had waited a moment, if he had taken more slipstream, if he had made a more aggressive effort... I believe he did what had to be done at the right time and in the right way, but he found Pinocchio Vingegaard, who doesn't tell fairy tales, at most writes them.

David GAUDU. 7. The 28-year-old French rider from Groupama tries to keep up with those two, in a pulsating uphill sprint, but for him there's only a third place, which is good that he doesn't sow underground.

Egan BERNAL. 7. He attacks, leaps, jumps, the Colombian projects himself to the sky, starting from the back. This morning he was 134th in the general classification, tonight he's 4th. A great leap, for a great Vuelta.

Joao ALMEIDA. 6.5. A finish that tickles him and he finds himself there, in the podium zone.

Felix GALL. 6.5. The Austrian from Decathlon is always there, when the battle erupts he responds present.

Jay HINDLEY. 5.5. Our Giulio Pellizzari sets the table for him, positioning himself at the end to set the pace and counter attacks, then when it's time to sit at the table, he immediately pays the bill without even eating.

Juan AYUSO. 5.5. It's a finish that could have exalted him, but his finale is not exciting.

Matteo JORGENSON. 8. Great work for his captain, just like the entire Visma Lease and Bike team that immediately makes it clear that in the finale they're not just there to protect Vingegaard, but to launch him.

Thomas PIDCOCK. 5.5. It's likely that the fall might have affected him, but the Scottish rider accepts the challenge, throwing down the gauntlet, then must also pick it up.

Antonio TIBERI. 5. Adrenaline-fueled, frenetic finale like few others, finishes that the Ciociaro rider absolutely doesn't like, but losing 21" immediately...

Guillaume MARTIN. 17. The Groupama-FDJ rider ends up on the ground with about ten men exiting a roundabout. Legs in the air go Tim Van Dijke (Red Bull Bora), Carlos Canal (Movistar), Tom Pidcock (Q36.5), Magnus Sheffield (Ineos), Axel Zingle, Jonas Vingegaard and Victor Campenaerts (Visma Lease a Bike). Tough hit for the Dane, who takes some time before getting back on the saddle and restarting with Campenaerts: the group, rightly, waits. Not the best way to start this Vuelta, but he immediately consoles himself as only champions can. For the philosopher, unfortunately, the bitterness of surrendering: he's the first to retire.

Liam SLOCK. 8.5. The 24-year-old Belgian from Lotto, teammate of Prophet Viviani, hits the day's intermediate sprint. Of the breakaway riders, he's also the last to surrender 5 km from the finish line.

Gal GLIVAR. 8. Ready, go and after just a kilometer the breakaway leaves with the group's blessing. Away goes the Alpecin Deceunick guy with Liam Slock (Lotto), Jakub Otruba (Caja Rural) and Sinuhè Fernandez (Burgos Burpellet). A stage for fighters and they fight like crazy all day, under a torrential rain that greatly disturbs the race.