Richard Carapaz? Romain Bardet? Jai Hindley? The contenders for ‘wide open’ Giro d'Italia assessed

The fight for the maglia rosa at the Giro d’Italia is “wide open”, according to Eurosport expert Robbie McEwen, after an explosive outing on the Blockhaus left just 29 seconds separating the top seven riders. Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) survived his toughest test in pink but saw his lead slashed as Jai Hindley (Bora-hansgrohe) chalked up a surprise win on Stage 9.

Ad/> Ineos Grenadiers unleashed their familiar mountain train as they upped the ante in a previously subdued GC battle, with Richie Porte’s hard pace cracking a number of fancied names. Giro d'Italia‘I lost my mind’ – Lopez says sorry after throwing bottle at rival4 HOURS AGO Simon Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco) was the biggest act to unravel as the Brit’s hopes of finally winning the Giro disappeared again after he leaked over 11 minutes.

Fellow Brit Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EasyPost) also shed time, losing almost four minutes on the front group. Once Porte pulled aside in the closing kilometres, Ineos leader Richard Carapaz seemed set to rip clear and throw down a marker ahead of the second rest day.

However, his punch was absorbed by Romain Bardet (Team DSM) and Mikel Landa (Bahrain-Victorious) as the three sailed away on the final climb. Ultimately, with the trio sinking into a tactical battle, another group of three were allowed back into the frame – Hindley, Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) and Domenico Pozzovivo (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert) – before Hindley edged out Bardet and Carapaz in the sprint.