Italian cyclist Alberto Bettiol delivered a commanding solo performance to win stage 13 of the Giro d'Italia in Verbania on Friday, marking his first stage victory in five years. The 30-year-old attacked at the summit of the final climb, leaving Andreas Leknessund behind before powering down the descent to Lake Maggiore.
Emotional Homecoming
Bettiol, whose girlfriend Lisa Finetti hails from Verbania, described the win as deeply personal. "Today, in theory I won already before the start because I had all my family here and my second family," he said. "Having all of them, my brother, my father, my mom and all my really, really few people that have always been around me, it was already, for me, a victory. But winning like this is something I will bring forever with me."
He crossed the line with arms raised in celebration, embracing Finetti after the finish. Bettiol, who also soloed to a stage win in 2021, caught Leknessund as they reached the Ungiasca summit and surged ahead on the descent.
Stage Dynamics
Uno-X Mobility's Leknessund finished 26 seconds behind in second place, while Belgian Jasper Stuyven won a four-rider sprint to take third for Soudal-QuickStep. Portugal's Afonso Eulálio, competing for Bahrain Victorious, led the peloton, which trailed more than 13 minutes behind the winner. He maintained a 33-second lead over Jonas Vingegaard at the top of the general classification.
A group of 15 riders built a healthy lead on the 189km ride from Alessandria. By the time the stage reached the first of two climbs with less than 25km remaining, the gap exceeded 11 minutes. The breakaway stayed together on the short ascent to Bieno before the longer, steeper Ungiasca climb triggered attacks, with four riders breaking away.
Leknessund made a solo push, but Bettiol gave chase, leading to more frustration for the Norwegian, who also finished second to Jhonatan Narváez on stage eight. "I knew every single corner in the last 50km because sometimes I train here," Bettiol said. "The fact that I knew the climb really helped me and that's how I won."
Looking Ahead
Saturday's stage 14 promises to shake up the general classification, featuring a 133km mountain stage from Aosta to Pila.
