Jonas VINGEGAARD. 10 with honors. Zzzzzzzzzz the hornet flies. It makes no noise, but it bothers those who have it on their wheel, until the Dane decides to sit on the wheel. When he attacks, it's better to pretend nothing, to not see him, like Felix Gall who would turn the other way if he could. Zzzzzzzz the hornet flies, without overdoing it, without stinging: there's no need. Zzzzzzzzz the hornet flies away, who from yellow had turned blue Mediolanum and now pink "I am Friuli Venezia Giulia", waiting to write: I am the strongest. Zzzzzzzz the stage is like this, a bit soporific until the hornets decide to buzz louder, to cause trouble. The hornets are far too strong, far too much stronger than the others. Zzzzzzzz there's a bit of eyelid drooping, then Jonas takes care of waking our spirits, with a climb of quality, but without ever going out of control: after all, he's thinking about the Giro. And not just that.

Felix GALL. 8. The Austrian from Decathlon CMA CGM doesn't make the mistake of following the Dane. He knows he doesn't have the pace to match the "fishing king": he continues at his own pace and with that he limits the damage.

Jai HINDLEY. 7. He too had to go through several days of great difficulty due to a virus that hit much of the race caravan. Today he once again proves he can pedal very well. He's there, fighting with the best, until the end.

Davide PIGANZOLI. 10. The 23-year-old from Valtellina is one of the great surprises of this Giro, one of the great hopes of Italian cycling. He is now the trusted man and point of reference for Jonas Vingegaard. He's the last man, but he's studying to become the reference man. For now, he works brilliantly today and stays in the thick of the race until the end: fourth on the stage, now he's also tenth in the general classification. This year an extra man for Vingegaard, next year perhaps the extra man for Visma, for the Grand Tours. Everything to discover: wonderful.

Giulio PELLIZZARI. 8. Written off for dead, the "Duke of Camerino" fights until the end like a lion. Giulio thinks about not going out of control, about not overdoing it at a moment when it's necessary to find the right pedal stroke in view of the grand finale. He climbs towards Pila as well as he possibly could, rises three positions in the standings: now he's 6th. Let's start thinking. Lucid.

Thymen ARENSMAN. 5.5. He boils over almost immediately, but manages to control the suffering with great determination. A difficult day, but the Giro is just beginning: today.

Michael STORER. 6. He puts himself in ski-lift mode and climbs as he knows how. Regular, consistent, reliable: the Australian from Tudor is a guarantee. Don't ask him for the moon, he has his feet firmly on the ground.

Wout POELS. 6.5. He's no longer a young kid, because the Dutchman is well 38 years old, but he defends himself well: with plenty of experience.

Jan HIRT. 6.5. The Czech is no longer a young kid either, at 35 years old, but cycling is still a sport of endurance and experience: he has it all.

Egan BERNAL. 6.5. He escorts Arensman brilliantly, then tries to save himself and does it well.

Derek GEE. 5. After a great time trial in Massa, today he's among those who show the most limitations of all. But tomorrow is another day.

Afonso EULALIO. 6.5. He loses the jersey, but not his face, because the Portuguese rider has the face of someone who knows what he's doing and still wants to play. Tough.

Ben O'CONNOR. 5. Nothing, as soon as the climb starts the Australian shows his limitations. Today they're so wide that he can only improve: he's clearly better than this.

Giulio CICCONE. 6.5. You can't say he doesn't try, that he doesn't fight like a madman. He goes on the attack and stays up front until the end, or almost. He rakes in points for the Mediolanum blue jersey, but he doesn't account for the "fishing king", who when the road goes up, everyone else goes down.

Merkel BELOKI. 5. The son of a famous cyclist today understands what it means to race a Grand Tour. He's only 20 years old and there's no point in making any judgments: all experience.

Enric MAS. 4. He enters the day's breakaway, could pick up something good: could.

Mathis RONDEL. 6. The young French rider from Tudor doesn't have a great day (13th), but in the end he saves himself and gains a position in the general classification: now he's 11th. Fantastique.

Simone GUALDI. 8. You'd need a friend… The 21-year-old from Bergamo with Lotto makes a nice gesture of fair play towards a friend: he wets the neck of Giulio Pellizzari with water from his water bottle, a bit overheated. A bit of cooling off on one of the first great hot days of this Giro is just what's needed: well done.

Jhonatan NARVAEZ. 7. Sprint for the points classification and the Ecuadorian takes home the points needed for the overtake. The cyclamen jersey is now on his shoulders.

Christian SCARONI. 17. Suffering for two days, last night he didn't sleep a wink due to pharyngitis and fever, today he tries, but ends his suffering with a retirement he absolutely didn't want. To date, 25 retirements.