For the second day in a row Lotto Belisol was present in a breakaway. Last Saturday Sander Armée showed himself and yesterday it was the turn of Gert Dockx.

 

Immediately after the start five riders took off: Tjallingii, Rubiano, Gordoy, Cecchinel and Gert Dockx.  The leaders got a maximal lead of about six minutes. But with seven kilometers to go it was over for them. Dockx and his companions rode in front for 178 kilometers.

 

A new bunch sprint was coming up. In that sprint Marcel Kittel took his second stage win of this Giro. He left Ben Swift and Elia Viviani behind him.

 

Kenny Dehaes got closed in at one and a half kilometers from the end and crossed the finish line as fifteenth. Michael Matthews will start in the leader's jersey again on Tuesday. Today the peloton makes the transfer from Ireland to Italy.

 

"The team asked me to try to join a breakaway," Dockx said. "With such a special start it's always nice to be in front. That way the team sat relatively relaxed in the back and I didn't have to be in the nervous peloton.

 

"I had a good feeling today. It was only my tenth day of competition since my crash in Dwars door Drenthe. With the next stages in mind it wasn't bad to get some race rhythm. It can only make me stronger.

 

"My task for the next weeks? I mainly have the task to support our leader Maxime Monfort and to get him to the crucial points in a comfortable way. Apart from that I definitely want to try to join another break. If I can be part of a front group you never know where it may end."