Bruno Armirail (Groupama-FDJ) will have deserved his rest day on Monday. The Frenchman wearing the pink jersey had to work on Sunday to stay at a reasonable distance from the peloton of favorites. Despite losing 33 seconds in the final of the 15th stage between Seregno and Bergamo, Armirail maintained more than a minute ahead of his runner-up in general Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers). Present in the breakaway of the day, Brandon McNulty has unlocked his victory counter on the Grand Tours.
🇫🇷 Bruno Armirail remains in pink and will spend the second rest day as leader of the Giro d'Italia#Giro #LesRP pic.twitter.com/gk6e8Qy0kn
— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) May 21, 2023
While the peloton let slip a group of breakaways until the final victory, Bruno Armirail focused on his only mission, to keep his leader's tunic one more day. If the big fight between the favorites will certainly wait for Tuesday and the high mountains, despite a small explanation between Primoz Roglic and Joao Almeida, the Frenchman of Groupama-FDJ paid the last percentages at the entrance of Bergamo. But the main thing is except, there will be a second day in pink for the Habs.
"We have to be realistic, I'm not going to bring him back to Rome," he told Eurosport at the start of the stage. We will try to defend it without giving everything either. Priority to the general for Thibaut (Pinot). »
In any case, it was a good weekend for Groupama-FDJ with the success of the young Romain Grégoire on the Four Days of Dunkirk.