Moreno Hofland finished sixth in the 12th stage of the Giro d’Italia today. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s sprinter struggled to come close to victory over the tortuous roads in Bibione. André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) won his third stage.

The stage ran completely flat, but it still caused stress for the riders. It was raining during the majority of the race. “It became quite cold and the riders had to change clothes often,” Sports Director Addy Engels said. “Primoz Roglic crashed two times, as well, but he didn’t seem to suffer any damage.  

“Fortunately, the rain stopped during the final 20 kilometres, but it was the right decision of the organisation to stop the clock with one lap to go. That took some stress out of the peloton.”

Route book

The group arrived in a sprint regardless. “Jos van Emden and I started a bit too far from behind with our preparation for the sprint,” Hofland said. “It was narrower and more technical than the route book told us, so that made it hard to move up. Together with Enrico Battaglin, I was able to do so eventually. I came out of the final turn in sixth position and finished sixth, as well. I wasn’t able to go faster than this, so this was the best result possible today.”

On Friday in the 13^th stage, the riders have to climb often. “It’s going to be day for the overall riders,” Engels explained. “The ascents are steep, tough and technical. Steven Kruijswijk came through the first days after the rest day quite well, so he’s still in his rhythm. It’s going to be an important day for him.”