In a movie ending, Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike) came out victorious in the ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia 2024, a 241-kilometer fraction between Avezzano and Naples, which closes the first week of the competition, led by Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates).
The last kilometers were animated by the Ecuadorian Jhonathan Narvaez (Ineos Grenadiers), who seemed to be on his way to another victory after an attack on a small hill, but was overtaken by the sprinters in the last hundred meters.
The Dutch sprinter, who confirmed himself as one of the best sprinters of the 107th edition of the Corsa Rosa, won just ahead of Italian Jonathan Milan (Lidl – Trek) and Colombian Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates). While Jhonathan Narvaez (Ineos Grenadiers) had to settle for 11th place.
The last stage before the first rest day of the Giro d’Italia 2024 was super long with only one categorized climb on the day’s menu, but the stage was by no means flat. The riders faced four short climbs in the final forty kilometers, with Monte di Procida (4.1 km at 3.1%), Lucrino (1.1 km at 6.7%), Solfatara di Pozzuoli (2 km at 4.9%) and the Posillipo (3.2 km at 4.4%). The top of this last climb came seven kilometers before the finish line.
The breakaway of the day was led by two riders from Team Polti Kometa. Italians Mirco Maestri and Andrea Pietrobon, who led the long day. The two adventurers were neutralized in the final stage.
While not much happened on the first climb, the race came alive on the subsequent climb to Lucrino (1.1 km at 6.7%). It was none other than Julian Alaphilippe who ventured up and managed to nullify early attackers Pietrobon and Maestrí. The Frenchman was joined by Nicola Conci (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ), Kevin Vermaerke (DSM-Firmenich) and Ewen Costiou (Arkéa-B&B Hotels).
The two-time world champion gave a new acceleration and left all his rivals just before the summit, but Jhonathan Narvaez, the winner of the first stage to Turin attacked and passed Alaphilippe with a powerful acceleration.
While the brave Alaphilippe was caught and left behind by the peloton, Narvaez started the last seven flat kilometers with an advantage. With two kilometers to go, his gap was ten seconds, but not enough to surprise the fast men.
Surprisingly Tadej Pogacar, in the service of his Colombian teammate Juan Sebastián Molano, went to the front of the peloton to throw the pack to the sprinter from Boyacá and they pounced on the Ecuadorian.
Poor Narvaez was caught by Milan and Kooij just 50 meters from the line. The Italian was the first to launch in the sprint, but this time he was clearly overtaken by the 22-year-old Dutchman.
This Monday comes the first break in the ‘Corsa Rosa’, which resumes action on Tuesday with a mountainous 141-kilometer fraction between Pompei and Cusano Mutri (Bocca della Selva).
Giro d’Italia 2024 (2.UWT)
Results Stage 9 | Avezzano – Nápoles (214 km)
| 1 | Olav Kooij | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 4:44:22 |
| 2 | Jonathan Milan | Lidl – Trek | ,, |
| 3 | Juan Sebastián Molano | UAE Team Emirates | ,, |
| 4 | Alberto Dainese | Tudor Pro Cycling Team | ,, |
| 5 | Danny van Poppel | BORA – hansgrohe | ,, |
| 6 | Madis Mihkels | Intermarché – Wanty | ,, |
| 7 | Kaden Groves | Alpecin – Deceuninck | ,, |
| 8 | Andrea Vendrame | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | ,, |
| 9 | Davide Ballerini | Astana Qazaqstan Team | ,, |
| 10 | Max Kanter | Astana Qazaqstan Team | ,, |
Ranking General
| 1 | Tadej Pogačar | UAE Team Emirates | 32:59:04 |
| 2 | Daniel Felipe Martínez | BORA – hansgrohe | 2:40 |
| 3 | Geraint Thomas | INEOS Grenadiers | 2:58 |
| 4 | Ben O’Connor | Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team | 3:39 |
| 5 | Cian Uijtdebroeks | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | 4:02 |
| 6 | Antonio Tiberi | Bahrain – Victorious | 4:23 |
| 7 | Lorenzo Fortunato | Astana Qazaqstan Team | 5:15 |
| 8 | Einer Rubio | Movistar Team | 5:28 |
| 9 | Thymen Arensman | INEOS Grenadiers | 5:30 |
| 10 | Jan Hirt | Soudal Quick-Step | 5:53 |
Source: Revista Mundo Ciclístico