Stage 17 Victory for George Steinhauser and Giro Lead Extension for Tadej Pogacar

Germany’s George Steinhauser, 22, ended race leader Tadej Pogacar’s streak of stage wins at the Giro d’Italia with a solo victory on Thursday, after a day of relentless climbing.

Steinhauser, riding for EF Education–EasyPost, broke away on the first climb of the Passo Brocon with just over 30km remaining in the 159km 17th stage. He continued to extend his lead over Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier.

With the peloton showing no urgency in chasing him down, Giro debutant Steinhauser powered up the second climb of Passo Brocon in a steady rain to secure the victory.

Pogacar, who had claimed victories in the 15th and 16th stages to open up a significant gap in the battle for the Maglia Rosa, chose not to go for a third consecutive win. The UAE Team Emirates rider accelerated away from the main group in the final kilometers, extending his lead over his general classification rivals.

Pogacar finished one minute and 24 seconds behind Steinhauser, pushing his overall lead close to eight minutes.

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“I really held my horses until the final, so it was a really beautiful stage,” said Pogacar, who has dominated the race from the start. “It was a bit cold on the last descent, but we stretched the legs well on the final climb.”

He leads Colombia’s Dani Martinez (Bora-Hansgrohe) by 7:42, with Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) eight minutes and four seconds behind.

Pogacar mentioned that Saturday’s penultimate stage could be his chance to secure a sixth stage win. “The main goal is always to keep the jersey into Rome and not do anything foolish. But there’s one really nice stage, Monte Grappa, close to Slovenia. We’ll see what happens there,” the Slovenian rider said.

For Steinhauser, it was his biggest senior win. “To be honest, I didn’t really think about much. I just concentrated on the roads in front of me,” he said. “The roads were super wet and slippery, so I was just in my zone. I heard on the radio and got super nervous on the last climb. I heard at one point that Pogacar was attacking, but I was already 2km from the finish, so I thought I would make it.”

Thursday’s 178km stage to Padua will take the peloton out of the mountains and provide an opportunity for the sprinters.