Dumoulin 2.0: Plapp had to dismount several times and couldn't thwart Vendrame's "amazing performance"

The nineteenth stage of the Giro d'Italia went exactly as expected. The breakaway riders had anticipated that they would get their opportunity on Friday, and they did. After a fierce battle for the lead group, it was eventually Andrea Vendrame who proved to be the strongest and smartest out of a large group. Pelayo Sanchez and Georg Steinhauser completed the podium, with a special mention for Luke Plapp. Here are their stories...

Vendrame went on the offensive more than thirty kilometers from the finish and, surprisingly, the Italian of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale maintained his pace all the way until the finish. "It's a beautiful day today. The most important thing was to be in the breakaway right from the start. It was full throttle and since everyone always calls me 'the joker', I just tried to go with that," he winked, referring to his nickname.

The popular Batman character couldn't have done a better job than Vendrame on Friday. "I broke away on the descent, and it was a good move. Behind me, the cooperation apparently was not great, so that was good for me. I expected someone to come back, but I tried to maintain a steady pace. Also, I was well supported from the car. Saturday will probably be a stage for Pogacar and we'll be racing for O'Connor in the standings. We have nothing to lose."

Continue reading below the video.

Steinhauser also unexpectedly surprises himself

The runner-up spots in the nineteenth stage went to two men who had each already won a stage. Pelayo Sanchez won on behalf of Movistar on day six, during the gravel stage in Tuscany, and showed strong legs again today. "I came here to the Giro to hunt for stages and my team did a great job today. Did we underestimate Vendrame? It's the third week and everyone was tired. It seemed best to stick together and try to bring him back that way, but we didn't manage it. He had great legs, so we have to congratulate him. I'm glad that my preparation allowed me to perform well here. It's been a good Giro for us as a team," the Spaniard told Eurosport.

Steinhauser expressed the same sentiments when talking to Eurosport, although the young German of EF Education EasyPost hadn't planned to be in the break at all. "I felt so bad from the start and I didn't plan to be in the break. I pushed hard for Michael Valgren and eventually ended up at the front. On a steep climb, I followed Alaphilippe and then my legs opened up. In the finale, we really went full throttle, but Vendrame stayed ahead. Truly an amazing performance on his end, hats off to that! Before the Giro, I never expected to drop riders like Alaphilippe, but that is now a reality. This is very special."

Continue reading below the photo.

Plapp had super legs, but his stomach was not cooperating

In fourth place was Jhonatan Narváez and in fifth, Luke Plapp. An impressive top five, although Plapp seemed capable of more. The Australian immediately ran into a toilet booth after the finish and later confessed to the media that he had also had to dismount several times during the race. "I had stomach issues during the race. I had to come back a few times. I had four very uncomfortable hours," he said with a laugh.

"I'm happy with how I raced, my legs were really good. My stomach just didn't cooperate, forcing me to stop," he continued, referring to a what is by now known as a 'Tom Dumoulin' moment. "The first time it took a long time to catch up again because they were going full throttle at the front. That cost a lot of energy. I think I would have been in the finale otherwise. It's a shame because we had our eye on this stage."