Magnier snatches stage 18 bunch sprint to seal hat-trick of Giro d’Italia wins

Paul Magnier of Soudal Quick-Step completed a hat-trick of victories successful this Giro d’Italia by winning a bunch sprint connected shape 18 successful Pieve di Soligo.

The 22-year-old Frenchman was perfectly group up by his teammate Jasper Stuyven successful nan last fewer high-speed turns and powered to nan line, aft 171km of racing, up of 2 Italian sprinters.

Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious) was 2nd pinch Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) 3rd connected an undulating shape that began successful Fai della Paganella successful Trentino. Victory for Magnier, who besides won nan first and 3rd stages successful Bulgaria, intends he takes nan lead successful nan points classification.

Jonas Vingegaard, nan wide title leader, attacked connected nan day’s short crisp last climb wrong nan last 10km, but yet settled for a spot successful nan main bunch to sphere his large lead. The Dane (Team Visma-Lease A Bike) is attempting to complete his group of Grand Tour triumphs and leads by 4:03 minutes pinch 3 stages left.

The 171km shape came live aft a four-man break of Mattia Bais (Polti-VisitMalta), Andrea Mifsud (Polti-VisitMalta), Jonas Geens (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and James Shaw (EF Education-EasyPost) was caught pinch astir 25 km to go. The 1.1km Il Muro di Ca del Poggio ramp, pinch gradients of 19%, provided a crisp sting successful nan tail and for a while it looked for illustration Vingegaard mightiness spell for nan shape win.

Jonas Vingegaard successful pinkish among nan peloton passing a vineyards from Fai della Paganella to Pieve di Soligo. Photograph: Tim de Waele/Getty Images

Afonso Eulalio, who recovered from a clang earlier successful nan day, besides sensed an opportunity. But successful nan extremity it was a time for nan sprinters and Soudal Quick-Step played nan cleanable manus arsenic Stuyven led Magnier into nan last tricky corner, giving his young teammate nan cleanable statement for his last burst of acceleration to nan line.

“I had a batch of assurance this morning,” said Magnier, who besides wore nan title leader’s Maglia Rosa jersey aft his earlier shape wins. “My teammates made it into a sprint and I’m truthful happy to win. Jasper made an astonishing lead-out.”