27 May, 2018, Rome (ITA)
The 101st Giro d’Italia came to a close with a 115km circuit stage through the heart of Rome which saw Jempy Drucker sprint to third behind the stage winner, Sam Bennett (BORA-hansgrohe), after a hectic run into the finish line.
Due to concerns over rider safety out on the course, the time was neutralized on stage 21 and as a result, the race split in two with the Maglia Rosa and the main General Classification contenders dropping off the back of the main bunch which was being driven by the sprinters’ teams.
Once this decision was made, Francisco Ventoso went out as part of a large breakaway with the final two riders from this group caught at around the 12km to go mark in anticipation of the fast finale.
Despite a late attack, the main bunch was all together going under the flamme rouge, and as the wind up to the sprint began, Drucker was able to position himself well, moving up the bunch before surging to third place behind Bennett and Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors).
After what has arguably been one of the toughest editions of the Giro d’Italia in recent years, BMC Racing Team finished the race with a stage win courtesy of Rohan Dennis, who powered to victory in the stage 16 individual time trial, and four days with Dennis in the Maglia Rosa from stages three to six.
Solid teamwork throughout the race allowed Dennis to maintain a position in the top ten until stage 19 when the 4000m of climbing proved too much for Dennis in his first attempt at the General Classification in a Grand Tour.
Dennis crossed the finish line in Rome in the first group to secure 16th overall behind winner Chris Froome (Team Sky).
Alongside Drucker and Dennis, Roelandts, Alessandro De Marchi, Kilian Frankiny, and Francisco Ventoso completed BMC Racing Team’s roster in Rome, after Nicolas Roche and Loïc Vliegen were forced to abandon on stage 15 due to sickness.
Quotes from the Finish Line in Rome
Jempy Drucker:
“It’s nice to be up there. I knew I could do that during the whole Grand Tour but I never had the opening or the opportunity. Today, Rohan set me up really well and that helped me to save some energy for the sprint. I had some good feelings over the last couple of days and I knew I could do a good sprint here so, it’s nice to finish the race off like this.”
“Overall, it was a hard time here but we made it to Rome so I’m happy. We had a nice three weeks, a super good start with Rohan in the pink jersey, then afterward he won a stage also. So I think as a team we did a good job. It was a nice experience in Italy.”
Rohan Dennis:
“A success is probably the best way to sum it up. I didn’t expect too much out of this Giro d’Italia, to be honest. I didn’t want to put too much expectation on myself after last year’s disappointment so I sort of came here hoping that it would be a lot better and it has been.”
Alessandro De Marchi:
“This is my fourth Giro d’Italia and I think I can consider it the hardest and the fastest. I’m quite happy for the three weeks. I showed that I was ready in the good moments, and for me and the team, I’m happy with the whole race. I missed really what I was looking for, a stage win, but I’ still confident that I’m on the right path. Sometimes it’s not only about me, but about the race, the peloton, and these kind of things. So, I’m finishing with a smile and I look forward to the rest of the season.”
Kilian Frankiny:
“For sure it is special and a very good feeling to be here in Rome and finish the Giro d’Italia after the crash last year in the Vuelta a Espana. Most of the guys have said that it has been the hardest race so I’m even more proud to finish it. I still felt good in the last week on the three days of climbing so I think that is a good sign for me. Maybe next year I can come again and throw myself even more into it. It was also really nice to start in Israel and to have the pink jersey with Rohan. I think I will never forget riding for the pink jersey. It was amazing.”
Jurgen Roelandts:
“It was, of course, a good start with the pink jersey. In the beginning, I was a bit disappointed that we missed it by two seconds on the first day, but then to take it on day two was really nice. I think we did a good Giro d’Italia. For my personal goals, I think I did a good sprint. My goal before the Giro was already the Imola finish. I was up there but you don’t always have it like you want it. For me, and for the team, it was a successful race.”
Francisco Ventoso:
“I’m tired for sure. This is one of the fastest Giro d’Italia that I have ever done. Every single day was really, really fast and we didn’t have one easy day. So. it was a really difficult Giro for everybody. I’m happy for the result of the team, for the pink jersey, and the stage win from Rohan Dennis. I think we made a really good Giro so I’m really happy.”
Maximilian Sciandri, Sports Director:
“When I was doing the long transfer last night and this morning on the way to Rome, I passed by Fiumicino airport where I took the plane a month ago going to Jerusalem and it came to my mind that I was pretty excited and I didn’t really know what I was going into. We went to Jerusalem for the Giro d’Italia with the plan for Rohan Dennis to go for the General Classification. After one month I can say that I am really happy. Happy because we had a great win in the time trial, we missed out on the prologue by two seconds, but then we got the Rosa the day after the prologue for four days.”
“The GC side of things was an unknown for all of us, especially with the third week being a new area for Rohan to explore. The last three stages in the mountains had around 4000m of climbing every day, and if you look at all of the riders in front of him they are all Grand Tour winners or climbers. If you look at some of the other riders, like Yates, Aru, Pinot, and Chaves, you saw a lot of riders struggle, so I don’t think we failed. It was a test for us and we can take a lot away from this year’s Giro d’Italia. All of the guys were given opportunities, which is something we said from the beginning, so guys like Jurgen Roelandts and Jempy Drucker went for the sprints, Alessandro De Marchi was in the breakaway. Now we are here in Rome and I think we can be happy with our performance over the last three weeks.”
Race Profile
Giro d’Italia
Stage 21: Rome > Rome, 115km
Top 3: 1. Sam Bennett (BORA-hansgrohe) 2. Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) 3. Jempy Drucker (BMC Racing Team)
BMC Racing Team Top 3: 3. Jempy Drucker 26. Jurgen Roelandts 29. Rohan Dennis
Top 3 on GC: 1. Chris Froome (Team Sky) 2. Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) 3. Miguel Angel Lopex (Astana Pro Team)
BMC Racing Team Top 3 on GC: 16. Rohan Dennis 43. Kilian Frankiny 65. Alessandro De Marchi
