OFFICIAL Stage 17 Results: Luke Plapp, Jay Vine ABANDON!
Laurens De Jong
Hello, Giro d’Italia Gamers!
STAGE Grade: B+
I rate today’s stage a B+. It was a really good race with lots of unexpected developments, but in the end the general classification didn’t change much. Antonio Tiberi disappeared, he had a jour sans today. But in the end, despite all the excitement, it was a bit anticlimactic. B+ material.
Route: 4/5 GC: 1/5 Tactics: 3/5 Sprint: 2/5 Surprises: 4/5
Romain Bardet gets the prize for demonstrating the most race craft today. When Isaac del Toro and Richard Carapaz came barreling down after the last climb, he stopped pedaling long before they caught him. Smart. He was going to get caught, practically guaranteed. Save your energy now, hop on their wheel, see what happens. He got second place out of it, could just as easily have been a stage victory. This is how you race a bike, kids. Learn from Bardet.
I’m not sure if Richard Carapaz’ attack made sense. Just 300 meters from the top of the Passo del Mortirolo and 48 kilometers to go. Sure, del Toro had shown a little weakness on the climb. But he’s always going to get back with 48 kilometers to go.
As he did. In Pogaresque fashion, I have to say. The way he closed gaps today, and the way he attacked near the finish, that reminded me a lot of Tadej Pogačar.
Speaking of Pogaresque: Lorenzo Fortunato has mathematically won the maglia azzurra. He has to finish to win it, but he can’t be beaten on the road. He’s 230 points ahead. We haven’t seen that kind of margin in points since Lucien van Impe won the mountains classification in 1982. A very special Giro for Fortunato and his XDS Astana Team.
With 117.5 kilometers to go, the peloton rode through the ski resort of Malé. Just at that moment, a train pulled alongside the peloton. People on the train taking pictures of the riders. Riders waving back. We’ve seen this before, the famous Giro d’Italia train. But this wasn’t that train. The Giro train only joins the 2025 Giro d’Italia in stages 11 and 19. What we saw today was the regular commuter train from Trento to Mezzana. It’s a 1-meter narrow-gauge railroad built by the Austrians as a tramway in 1909.
Today the trains are Alstom ETi 405 multiple-units, related to the Giro train but narrow-gauge. Ten kilometers past Malé, it makes a stop in Mezzana.
In Mezzana you can get out of the train and, without leaving the station, hop on the ski lift. The only direct train-to-ski lift connection in Italy, the Daolasa will take you 1,200 meters up to the Folgarida-Marilleva ski resort. From there you can ski all the way to Madonna di Campiglio.
Or back to Mezzana. That area is called Val di Sole and now you know why I bring this up. This is where the UCI holds a cyclocross race on snow every year. It’s also where the World Cup mountain bike courses are. You take the same ski lift up to mountain bike downhill.
All of this with a view of the river Noce. The Noce is rated as one of the ten best places in the world for rafting.
Cycling, rafting, skiing. Whatever floats your boat, you can do it in the Val di Sole. This is why the Italian Dolomites are one of my favorite places in the world.
When Giulio Pellizzari attacked, one kilometer from the top of the Mortirolo, Simon Yates and Isaac del Toro were getting dropped. A dramatic moment in the stage, but instead of showing us that, the Italian TV showed us Davide Piganzoli getting dropped. Interesting for us and our focus team, but pointless for the rest of the world.
Piganzoli finished 28th and dropped two places in the standings. Pellizzari finished fifth and is now seventh. He speaks of a podium, or at least a top five classification. An ambitious young man, it is now clear he’s the better of the two riders.
Before that, Team Polti-VisitMalta had missed the breakaway. These small Italian team are ruled by old-school team directors: the entire team was forced to pull the peloton in a futile attempt to catch the breakaway. Punishment. Old school.
Watch the final kilometer HERE.
Watch the official Giro d’Italia highlights HERE.
Read the TNT Sports report HERE.
I don’t think any future abandons are going to affect our game. Luke Plapp affected most of our Australian contingent, and he could have scored a few more points: Team Charles, Team Grace, Team Joshua, Team Sam, and Team Thomas all had him. Jay Vine, meanwhile, had been picked by Team Charles, Team Grace, Team Oliver, Team Sam, and Team Thomas.
Spoiler alert: Team Ansel and Team Oliver trade places again, Team Hugo and Team Katja also traded, everything else is unchanged.
Team Oliver and Team Tadej tied for the win today. Team Oliver had most points from the stage and most riders in the Top-25 (seven). Team Tadej had most points from classifications.
Third place for Team Charles. Team Joshua in fourth, then Team Katja in fifth, Team Sam in sixth, and Team Thomas in seventh. Team Ansel made it across the line in eighth, last of the teams who didn’t miss the boat today.
Team Noah were ninth, Team Hugo tenth, Team Amalia eleventh, and Team Grace twelfth.
Stage 17 brings relief for the GC riders. Three categorized climbs, then 70 kilometers more or less flat. It could be a day for a breakaway, or it could just be the bunch sprint we’re certain to see on Sunday. Like a dress rehearsal. I’ll be adventurous and predict that it could be a Kaden Groves kind of day. He can deal with these climbs. I say that knowing that Mads Pedersen and Wout van Aert are real threats. But hey, we need some southern hemisphere success after two Australian abandons today.
Standings after stage 17:
|
Rank |
Name |
Points |
WAS |
MOVES |
|
1 |
Team Tadej* |
3072 |
1 |
0 |
|
2 |
Team Oliver* |
2669 |
3 |
1 |
|
3 |
Team Ansel* |
2641 |
2 |
-1 |
|
4 |
Team Joshua* |
2637 |
4 |
0 |
|
5 |
Team Charles* |
2594 |
5 |
0 |
|
6 |
Team Katja* |
2367 |
7 |
1 |
|
7 |
Team Hugo* |
2314 |
6 |
-1 |
|
8 |
Team Sam* |
2157 |
8 |
0 |
|
9 |
Team Thomas* |
2020 |
9 |
0 |
|
10 |
Team Amalia* |
1687 |
10 |
0 |
|
11 |
Team Noah* |
1198 |
11 |
0 |
|
12 |
Team Grace* |
783 |
12 |
0 |
Standings after stage 17 (including adults):
|
Rank |
Name |
Points |
WAS |
MOVES |
|
1 |
Team Tadej* |
3072 |
1 |
0 |
|
2 |
Team Andrew |
2993 |
2 |
0 |
|
3 |
Team Kent |
2940 |
3 |
0 |
|
4 |
Team Amelia |
2826 |
4 |
0 |
|
5 |
Team Feng |
2707 |
5 |
0 |
|
6 |
Team Laurens |
2685 |
6 |
0 |
|
7 |
Team Oliver* |
2669 |
9 |
2 |
|
8 |
Team Ansel* |
2641 |
7 |
-1 |
|
9 |
Team Joshua* |
2637 |
10 |
1 |
|
10 |
Team John |
2617 |
12 |
2 |
|
11 |
Team Ed |
2600 |
8 |
-3 |
|
12 |
Team Charles* |
2594 |
13 |
1 |
|
13 |
Team Rob |
2552 |
11 |
-2 |
|
14 |
Team Campbell |
2443 |
14 |
0 |
|
15 |
Team Katja* |
2367 |
16 |
1 |
|
16 |
Team Hugo* |
2314 |
15 |
-1 |
|
17 |
Team Kari |
2291 |
17 |
0 |
|
18 |
Team Sam* |
2157 |
18 |
0 |
|
19 |
Team Thomas* |
2020 |
19 |
0 |
|
20 |
Team Adam |
1982 |
20 |
0 |
|
21 |
Team Doug |
1960 |
22 |
1 |
|
22 |
Team Julie |
1915 |
21 |
-1 |
|
23 |
Team Amalia* |
1687 |
23 |
0 |
|
24 |
Team Noah* |
1198 |
24 |
0 |
|
25 |
Team Kate |
975 |
25 |
0 |
|
26 |
Team Grace* |
783 |
26 |
0 |
Complete breakdown of points from stage 17:
|
Name |
STAGE RESULTS |
PINK JERSEY |
PURPLE JERSEY |
BLUE JERSEY |
WHITE JERSEY |
POINTS/CLASS |
TOTAL |
PREVIOUS |
CUM. TOTAL |
|
Team Amalia* |
28 |
10 |
7 |
3 |
0 |
20 |
48 |
1639 |
1687 |
|
Team Ansel* |
79 |
24 |
9 |
3 |
1 |
37 |
116 |
2525 |
2641 |
|
Team Charles* |
103 |
31 |
12 |
3 |
0 |
46 |
149 |
2445 |
2594 |
|
Team Grace* |
28 |
11 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
42 |
741 |
783 |
|
Team Hugo* |
49 |
2 |
12 |
3 |
1 |
18 |
67 |
2247 |
2314 |
|
Team Joshua* |
97 |
25 |
12 |
3 |
0 |
40 |
137 |
2500 |
2637 |
|
Team Katja* |
96 |
24 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
35 |
131 |
2236 |
2367 |
|
Team Noah* |
59 |
10 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
18 |
77 |
1121 |
1198 |
|
Team Oliver* |
123 |
18 |
12 |
3 |
3 |
36 |
159 |
2510 |
2669 |
|
Team Sam* |
99 |
19 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
30 |
129 |
2028 |
2157 |
|
Team Tadej* |
107 |
27 |
14 |
3 |
8 |
52 |
159 |
2913 |
3072 |
|
Team Thomas* |
87 |
21 |
10 |
0 |
5 |
36 |
123 |
1897 |
2020 |
Complete breakdown of points from stage 17 (including adults):
|
74 |
13 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
24 |
98 |
1884 |
1982 |
|
|
Team Amalia* |
28 |
10 |
7 |
3 |
0 |
20 |
48 |
1639 |
1687 |
|
Team Amelia |
84 |
25 |
12 |
8 |
3 |
48 |
132 |
2694 |
2826 |
|
Team Andrew |
103 |
32 |
12 |
3 |
1 |
48 |
151 |
2842 |
2993 |
|
Team Ansel* |
79 |
24 |
9 |
3 |
1 |
37 |
116 |
2525 |
2641 |
|
Team Campbell |
78 |
18 |
12 |
3 |
0 |
33 |
111 |
2332 |
2443 |
|
Team Charles* |
103 |
31 |
12 |
3 |
0 |
46 |
149 |
2445 |
2594 |
|
Team Doug |
88 |
21 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
33 |
121 |
1839 |
1960 |
|
Team Ed |
50 |
19 |
12 |
7 |
1 |
39 |
89 |
2511 |
2600 |
|
Team Feng |
64 |
24 |
12 |
3 |
1 |
40 |
104 |
2603 |
2707 |
|
Team Grace* |
28 |
11 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
42 |
741 |
783 |
|
Team Hugo* |
49 |
2 |
12 |
3 |
1 |
18 |
67 |
2247 |
2314 |
|
Team John |
119 |
35 |
5 |
7 |
5 |
52 |
171 |
2446 |
2617 |
|
Team Joshua* |
97 |
25 |
12 |
3 |
0 |
40 |
137 |
2500 |
2637 |
|
Team Julie |
43 |
12 |
7 |
3 |
0 |
22 |
65 |
1850 |
1915 |
|
Team Kari |
103 |
31 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
42 |
145 |
2146 |
2291 |
|
Team Kate |
72 |
10 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
13 |
85 |
890 |
975 |
|
Team Katja* |
96 |
24 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
35 |
131 |
2236 |
2367 |
|
Team Kent |
103 |
32 |
12 |
3 |
1 |
48 |
151 |
2789 |
2940 |
|
Team Laurens |
98 |
25 |
12 |
3 |
1 |
41 |
139 |
2546 |
2685 |
|
Team Noah* |
59 |
10 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
18 |
77 |
1121 |
1198 |
|
Team Oliver* |
123 |
18 |
12 |
3 |
3 |
36 |
159 |
2510 |
2669 |
|
Team Rob |
82 |
10 |
9 |
3 |
1 |
23 |
105 |
2447 |
2552 |
|
Team Sam* |
99 |
19 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
30 |
129 |
2028 |
2157 |
|
Team Tadej* |
107 |
27 |
14 |
3 |
8 |
52 |
159 |
2913 |
3072 |
|
Team Thomas* |
87 |
21 |
10 |
0 |
5 |
36 |
123 |
1897 |
2020 |
-Laurens.