VERBANIA, Italy (AP) — Alberto Bettiol won Stage 13 of the Giro d’Italia in Verbania on Friday, while Afonso Eulálio retained the overall lead of the race.
XDS Astana rider Bettiol led a 15-man breakaway to hold off second-place Andreas Leknessund and Jasper Stuyven in third.
Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious) stayed 33 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma — Lease a Bike) on the overall leaderboard after crossing the line at the same time as his closest rival.
The mainly flat stage featured two lower-classified climbs toward the end of the 189-kilometer (117-mile) route from Alessandria to Verbania.
Bettiol’s win by a margin of 26 seconds was his first for two years and his ninth overall. He last won on the National Road Championship in June 2024. It was the third stage win of this year’s Giro for his team.
“It doesn’t matter whether my last victory came two years ago or even longer. If you win like this, waiting two years doesn’t feel heavy,” he said. “I knew every corner, every kilometer of the finale — I know this climb really well. I had ridden it a couple of months ago on my motorbike and had watched the descent video several times.
“I knew the final kilometer had to be taken flat out and that there would be excellent climbers here, but I was confident my condition was good. I’m incredibly happy to have finally taken a win with this team.”
The 109th men’s Giro ends on May 31 in Rome.
The women’s Giro runs from May 30-June 7 with Italian rider Elisa Longo Borghini as the defending champion.
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AP cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling
