Lorenzo Fortunato was a surprise but deserved winner on a brutal stage 14 of the Giro d'Italia, as overall leader Egan Bernal stretched his lead in the race for the maglia rosa.
Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team rider Fortunato was part of an 11-rider breakaway as the peloton climbed the iconic Zoncolan in the final stages of the 206.5 kilometre ride from Cittadella.
Together with Jan Tratnik (Bahrain Victorious), Fortunato slipped away from the rest of the pack and then attacked solo on the toughest part of the climb with around 2.3km left.
Tratnik was in view with around 1,000 metres to go but Fortunato held on for a win on what is his Grand Tour debut.
"The breakaway went easy all day but at the start of the Zoncolan I attacked and stayed behind Tratnik. My legs are very good and I'm very, very happy," he said after the stage.
@lorenzfortunato: "I knew that the last 3km were the hardest, for this reason, I waited for the final part of the Zoncolan to attack and then I gave it everything until the finish line".
— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 22, 2021
Powered by @eolo_it #Giro pic.twitter.com/wi8wJpks4y
Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) finished fourth on the stage, having responded to a late attack from Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange) and responding with a move of his own on the Briton with only a few hundred metres remaining.
Yates is now second overall, one minute and 33 seconds back, with Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) a further 18 seconds behind in third.
Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana Premier Tech) had started the day second in the General Classification but could not reply to the moves made by Bernal and Yates, and now finds himself fourth overall.
"I think it’s a good gap, but I need to have focus," Bernal said.
"Everything can happen in the Giro. It looks like 1:30 is enough time but you never know. I need to be calm with the gap."
STAGE RESULT
1. Lorenzo Fortunato (Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team) 5:17:22
2. Jan Tratnik (Bahrain Victorious) +00:26
3. Alessandro Covi (UAE Team Emirates) +00:59
4. Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) +1:43
5. Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) +1:47
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) 58:30:47
2. Simon Yates (Team BikeExchange) +1:33
3. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) +1:51
Points Classification
1. Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) 135
2. Giacomo Nizzolo (Team Qhubeka Assos) 126
3. Davide Cimolai (Israel Start-Up Nation) 113
King of the Mountains
1. Geoffrey Bouchard (AG2R Citroen Team) 96
2. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) 57
3. Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) 50
