Just minutes after receiving the congratulations for the victory of Modolo in Lugano, the 18th stage of the Giro d'Italia became exciting thanks to a flurry of escape attempts. The early kilometerswere characterized by a series of attacks and the Lampre-Merida riderswere protagonists in some of them.

The blue-fuchsia-green athletes tried to escape, but the peloton only gave roww to 14 riders after 40km, among which Roberto Ferrari was present. Unfortunately, the Italian sprinter got involved in the crash that forced Cunego to quit the Giro: Ferrari was dropped from the breakaway and got caught by the bunch.

Gilbert won the stage thanks to an attack from the breakaway. The first rider from Team Lampre-Merida to reach the finish was Diego Ulissi, 38th.

"The early kilometers were full of attacks, but the pace in the bunch was too high for the riders to escape,” sport director Orlando Maini explained. “The mandate we had given to our athletes was to try to be in the breakaways, that's why they tried hard to fight in the front positions of the group.

"Only after 45 km, on a short hill on a narrow road, a group off riders with Ferrari could escape. Roberto was very unlucky: he suffered bruises and abrasions on the left gluteus and thigh. The next two stages will be very demanding, we are aware that if we want to be protagonists, we must try to attack."