Giro d’Italia 2023 Stage 18 recap – Filippo Zana denies Thibaut Pinot as Primoz Roglic roars back, Geraint Thomas keeps pink

Jens Voigt: “I didn’t think Roglic would be strong enough, but he is still in the fight. He is a bit less explosive, but he proved me wrong and he is still in the game. He is second overall so if Geraint has any mishaps or not feeling 100%, 30 seconds is fast to lose. It’s far from over but it still looks very good for Geraint Thomas.”

Robbie McEwen: "Almeida got dropped but the ease of which Thomas followed the wheel when Roglic went, although Roglic was on the front and trying to attack, it wasn’t where Roglic needs to be.”

Sean Kelly: “It’s a good move by Roglic and he defended the road very well. Geraint Thomas is looking very good here but it’s all to fight for the podium and nobody is out of reach fighting for this race. With tomorrow to come, anything is possible.”

Alberto Contador: “Thankfully, finally we had the movements. It was different. We saw Primoz Roglic attacking and Thomas getting out of their alive, Almeida was the victim. Tomorrow is a very, very big stage. It’s a brutal stage and anything can happen.”

He may not have got the stage win but he will be in the blue jersey again tonight and will be back in the top 10 in the general classification. But second places at Crans Montana and Val di Zoldo in his final Giro will be gut-wrenching for the Groupama-FDJ veteran.

1. Filippo Zana
2. Thibaut Pinot
3. Warren Barguil +50
4. Derek Gee +1'03
5. Aurelien Paret-Peintre +1'24
6. Marco Frigo +1'24
7. Primoz Roglic +1'56
8. Geraint Thomas +1'56
9. Joao Almeida +2'17
10. Eddie Dunbar +2'32

The Portuguese crossed the line 2'16" down on Zana and so he'll concede 21 seconds to his GC rivals. That could see him drop to third place behind Thomas and Roglic.

The duo cross the line 1'55" down on Zana and now we wait for Almeida to see how this affects the new-look general classification...

Warren Bargiul takes third place ahead of Derek Gee and then Aurelien Paret-Peintre and Marco Frigo. Now let's see how the GC riders fare...

The Italian champion and the French veteran go shoulder to shoulder in a massive sprint for the win - but it's Zana who just outlasts Pinot to take the win. What a victory for the local Veneto rider. But heartbreak again for Pinot...

The white jersey says thanks to his team-mate Vine and rides clear of the Aussie climber and Dunbar in a bid to catch Thomas and Roglic.

Because of the GC battle we haven't seen much of Pinot and Zana but they are into the last kilometre. Gee dropped Paret-Peintre in pursuit of Barguil but that's all we have for now...

The chasers have passed Pronskiy. Kuss has dropped back and now rides with Almeida, Vine and Dunbar just behind Thomas and Roglic. It's going to come back together - in large part to that man Vine, who has put in a stellar shift for his Portuguese leader.

Gee and Paret-Peintre haven't given up but they trail the two leaders by almost a minute, with Barguil somewhere in the middle. On the descent, Jay Vine overcooked a bend and almost came off. Almeida avoided his team-mate but Dunbar also locked up. That was a close shave.

The UAE duo have reached Dunbar and they trail Roglic-Thomas-Kuss by only 10 seconds as they crest the summit and start the descent. Arensman is next over.

The Frenchman makes it four from four as he crests this climb to Coi in pole positition ahead of Zana. They will now tackle the descent before the final rise to the line. One of them will win - will it be heartbreak for the Frenchman and joy for his Italian counterpart?

Back to the front of the race and the leading duo is approaching the summit. They have 3'20" on the Roglic-Thomas-Kuss-Dunbar quartet. Further back, I've just seen Damiano Caruso, who is riding behind Arensman.

Primoz Roglic them puts in the first attack from podium favourites, taking Thomas with him, and then team-mate Kuss as Dunbar drops back.

The pink jersey and his former team-mate Eddie Dunbar are the only of the GC favourites who can keep up with Kuss and Roglic. Everyone else is behind. It's Jay Vine who paces Almeida and Leknessund in a chasing trio about 10 seconds back, with Arensman just behind them. Further back, De Plus and Kamna have joined forces.

Moments after Rohan Dennis dropped back for Jumbo, Sepp Kuss moved out of the saddle and danced to the front to blow the main pack to pieces. Roglic latches on but Joao Almeida cannot keep up and is off the back. Wow - this is unexepected...