Giro d'Italia 2023 Stage 15 recap: Bruno Armirail keeps pink, Brandon McNulty wins thrilling three-way battle for stage

After losing the maglia azzurra to Thibaut Pinot on Friday's shortened stage, Davide Bais got in yesterday's breakaway and took it back on the Passo del Sempione. He now has a 30pt lead on the Frenchman in the KOM standings - although the final week will be key in this competition.

As for the maglia ciclamino, well Jonathan Milan looks increasingly assured of this jersey - provided he can complete his debut Grand Tour. The Bahrain Victorious rider saw his nearest challenger - Mads Pedersen - abandon two days ago so his closest rival is now Derek Gee, the Canadian who has now finished runner-up on three occasions. They are separated by 52 points.

The peloton is rolling through the streets of Seregno ahead of what we expect to be a multitude of attacks. We've just seen an interview with Rohan Dennis from the start and the Australian - who used to ride for Ineos and is now at Jumbo-Visma - thinks his old team will try and send Thymen Arensman or Laurens De Plus up the road. That would force a reaction from behind because the Dutchman and Belgian are in 9th and 10th in the standings and so can't be ignored.

"For sure, everyday I feel better. Yesterday it was wet and cold - for sure, not really sweating. Today is the day before the rest day - super hard parcours. I expect a race from the start to the finish. Looking to myself, hopefully I have good legs and I can be there. We have to be smart and focused."

ineos Grenadiers and Geraint Thomas deliberately gave away the overall lead at the Giro d’Italia on Stage 14 – but why? The Welshman has been in the race lead since the withdrawal of pre-race favourite Remco Evenepoel due to Covid and is expected to battle it out with Primoz Roglic for the overall prize in the final week. So why was he happy for Bruno Armirail to take the leader’s pink jersey?

The last day before the rest day could serve up a superb spectacle over a course that includes punchy climbs and thrilling downhills in a parcours that seems more like a classics route than a Grand Tour stage. Jens Voigt, in his last day on the motorbike, thinks it's 50-50 between the breakaway or GC riders, who could use the final climb - which peaks at 17% - as the perfect springboard to push for pink.

With four categorised climbs on the menu and some seriously tough terrain, it's hard to see Bruno Armirail holding on to the pink jersey. A lot will depend on how Groupama-FDJ defend the jersey and how Jumbo Visma ride it: perhaps they will see today's stage as an opportunity for Primoz Roglic to take some time from Geraint Thomas. And if he does, then surely Armirail's overall lead will disappear in a flash.

If you missed all the action on another cold, wet, miserable - yet barnstorming - day on the Giro d'Italia, then feast your eyes on the highlights here before today's intriguing stage gets under way.

It was a thrilling finale on the streets of Cassano Magnano yesterday as a leading trio were caught by a chasing quintet inside the final few hundred metres. Channelling his inner MVDP-in-Amstel-Gold, Nico Denz led the chasers back into the fold before holding off Canada's Derek Gee for the win. It was the Bora-Hansgrohe rider's second win of the week - and Israel-PremierTech's Gee third bridesmaid finish in this, his debut Grand Tour.

None of what was the top 20 were involved in that breakaway in Stage 14 which means Armirail rose 22 places to first place on GC after his exploits yesterday. Essentially, all the GC riders (pictured below in the main peloton coming over the line) just shift down a place so the new top 5 is like this:

1. Bruno Armirail
2. Geraint Thomas +1:41
3. Primoz Roglic +1:43
4. Joao Almeida +2:03
5. Andreas Leknessund +2:23

Ciao ragazzi! And welcome to live coverage of Stage 15 of the Giro d'Italia. Yes, you read that header correctly - French journeyman Bruno Armirail of Groupama-FDJ is indeed the new race leader after he featured in a breakaway yesterday that came home in dribs and drabs over 20 minutes clear of the peloton. That means Welsh veteran Geraint Thomas tactically conceded his pink jersey to Armirail, who, as unlikely as it sounds, now has a 1'41" cushion at the top. Can he hold on in a stage that could see GC sparks fly? Let's find out...