Watch all the action from the 2023 Giro d'Italia on SBS VICELAND from May 6-28, with all the replays and highlights on plus news, analysis and much more on the SBS Sport website.
Cort conquered the 196-kilometre course from Scandiano to Viareggio after holding off breakaway riders Derek Gee (Israel-PremierTech) and Alessandro de Marchi (Jayco-AlUla).
With six stage wins at the Vuelta a Espana and two at the Tour de France, victory on Stage 10 saw the EF Education-EasyPost star complete a set of Grand Tour victories amid one of his most difficult outings.
“I’m extremely happy to complete my trilogy… but it’s been one of the hardest days I’ve spent on the bike,” Cort said after the race.
“My radio wasn’t working because of the rain so I was never sure where the chasing peloton was. But we kept pushing hard. It was worth it. It’s hard to believe it happened though.”
Overall leader Thomas meanwhile preserved his two-second lead over Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) after finishing safely in the peloton, with INEOS Grenadiers teammate Tao Geoghegan Hart five seconds off the pace in third place.
It was the first time Thomas had worn the maglia rosa, this after Remco Evenepoel was forced to relinquish the leader’s jersey and abandon the Giro altogether after testing positive for COVID-19.
Nevertheless, the 36-year-old was happy to get through the day unscathed after the inclement weather left officials considering the possibility of altering the route over the top of the main climb, the Passo delle Radici.
“It was nice but obviously not ideal conditions to be leading the Giro,” Thomas said of his performance in the pink jersey.
“It was a solid day with lots of attacking. It was pretty cold on top of the hill, and crazy in the descent. I’m happy with getting through this stage alright. In this race anything can happen, especially with the weather.”
Such low temperatures in the Tuscan Apennines even took a toll on Australian Jay Vine, the UAE Team Emirates rider finishing 11’19” behind Cort to now sit 12’52” down in the GC battle.
Race organisers have since announced changes to the summit finish at Crans-Montana as a result, with the 2,469m climb up the Great St Bernard Pass removed in place of a tunnel to Switzerland on Stage 13.
For now, however, Stage 11 remains unchanged, with SBS On Demand providing the action live from 7:30pm (AEST) on May 17, with SBS VICELAND then joining the coverage at 8:30pm (AEST).
