Stage 18

The road

At the start

Prato Nevoso, and the Alps begin

Simon Yates leads Tom Dumoulin by 56 seconds, Domenico Pozzovivo by 3:11 and Chris Froome by 3:50, and today the Giro finally turns to the Alps. 197 kilometres out of Abbiategrasso, flat across the Po plain, one climb at Novello, and then the haul up to the ski station at Prato Nevoso. Campenaerts and Meintjes did not start yesterday. Three mountain days are left.

How it was won

1. 147 km to go

   A big break up the road

   A twelve-man move including Schachmann builds a lead of more than sixteen minutes, guaranteeing the stage win comes from the escape.

2. 29 km to go

   Plaza forces the break's hand

   The veteran Rubén Plaza accelerates with 8.7km to go on the Prato Nevoso climb, launching a war of attrition with Schachmann and Cattaneo.

3. 33 km to go

   The GC group turns on Yates

   With López already up the road and Poels pushing clear, the riders from sixth to tenth begin attacking — and, outnumbered, the maglia rosa is under pressure at last.

4. 42 km to go

   Yates cracks

   When Froome powers away with 2km to go, Simon Yates cannot follow. Pozzovivo and Dumoulin latch on; had the climb been a kilometre longer, Yates might have lost the jersey entirely.

5. 5At the line

   Schachmann wins as the race turns

   Maximilian Schachmann outkicks Cattaneo and Plaza for Quick-Step's fifth stage win, but the story is below: Yates has shown his first crack, and the Giro is suddenly alive.

The result