Nico Denz escaped from the remnants of a huge breakaway to win Stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia 2025 on Thursday, while the surviving overall contenders took it easy ahead of two mountaintop battles.

Even so, the race continued to take a toll on the big names. Juan Ayuso started the stage but retired two days after Primoz Roglic, the other big pre-race favorite, pulled out.

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Denz, a 31-year-old German, surged away from the 10 remaining members of the lead group to give Roglic's Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team its first win of a disastrous Giro.

"Everyone on the team had the big goal to win the Giro with Primoz," Denz said. "You lose a leader like Roglic, you lose a dream. But we turned it round."

Italian Mirco Maestri sprinted to second place Thursday, 1 minute, 1second behind Denz, edging Belgian Edward Planckaert.

Overall leader Isaac del Toro rolled home alongside his main rivals, 13 minutes, 51seconds back. The Mexican has two former Grand Tour winners in close pursuit. He is a mere 41 seconds ahead of Richard Carapaz and 51seconds ahead of Simon Yates.

Asked what he was on his mind on the eve of the final battle, the 21-year-old Del Toro replied that he would go to bed thinking of having Nutella for breakfast.

The transitional stage from Morbegno to Cesano Maderno was designed to give sprinters a chance and the main contenders a rest, ahead of two days of high-altitude battles.

Instead, a breakaway group of almost 40 riders, none well-placed overall, coalesced up the road. With almost every team represented, the pack let the break go and spent the gentle 144-kilometer run rolling easily along.

The stage ended with two 12.5-kilometer laps, and the peloton was so slow that there was a danger it would start its first circuit just as the leaders were beginning their last loop.

Organizers solved the problem by asking the previously dormant Q36.5 team, which had no riders in the breakaway, to up the pace at the head of the pack.

Ayuso, the designated leader of the UAE team, started the day more than 49 minutes behind teammate Del Toro, his right eye completely closed after he was stung by a hornet the day before. Ayuso also had been nursing a knee injury since a crash in Stage 9 that required three stitches.

Friday's 166-kilometer run from Del Biella to Champoluc includes three Category 1 climbs. It is first of two two ferocious mountain days before the survivors can roll into Rome in triumph on a flat final day when the route passes the Vatican, where the new pope is expected to watch.

Giro d’Italia Stage 18 Results – Top 25

1. Nico Denz (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) – 3:12:07 (B10)
2. Mirco Maestri (Team Polti VisitMalta) – 3:13:08 (B6)
3. Edward Planckaert (Alpecin-Deceuninck) – 3:13:08 (B4)
4. Filippo Magli (VF Group Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè) – 3:13:08
5. Alexander Edmondson (Team Picnic PostNL) – 3:13:08
6. Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) – 3:13:08
7. Daan Hoole (Lidl-Trek) – 3:13:08
8. Davide De Pretto (Team Jayco AlUla) – 3:13:08
9. Nicola Conci (XDS Astana Team) – 3:13:08
10. Lawrence Warbasse (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) – 3:13:08
11. Dylan van Baarle (Team Visma - Lease a Bike) – 3:13:08
12. Rick Pluimers (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) – 3:15:47
13. Francesco Busatto (Intermarché - Wanty) – 3:15:47
14. Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana Team) – 3:15:47
15. Wout van Aert (Team Visma - Lease a Bike) – 3:15:47
16. Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) – 3:15:47
17. Fabio Van den Bossche (Alpecin-Deceuninck) – 3:15:47
18. Giovanni Lonardi (Team Polti VisitMalta) – 3:15:47
19. Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious) – 3:15:47
20. Stefano Oldani (Cofidis) – 3:15:47
21. Martin Marcellusi (VF Group Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè) – 3:15:47 (B4)
22. Jon Barrenetxea (Movistar Team) – 3:15:47
23. Dorian Godon (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) – 3:15:47
24. Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) – 3:15:47
25. Stan Dewulf (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) – 3:15:47

Giro d’Italia Overall Standings – Top 25 After Stage 18

1. Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG) – 68:56:32
2. Richard Carapaz (EF Education - EasyPost) – 68:57:13
3. Simon Yates (Team Visma - Lease a Bike) – 68:57:23
4. Derek Gee (Israel - Premier Tech) – 68:58:29
5. Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) – 68:59:38
6. Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers) – 69:01:15
7. Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) – 69:01:34
8. Einer Rubio (Movistar Team) – 69:02:41
9. Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates XRG) – 69:04:17
10. Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) – 69:04:18
11. Max Poole (Team Picnic PostNL) – 69:04:32
12. Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates XRG) – 69:05:35
13. Thomas Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) – 69:06:27
14. Davide Piganzoli (Team Polti VisitMalta) – 69:08:03
15. Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) – 69:11:20
16. Rafal Majka (UAE Team Emirates XRG) – 69:14:32
17. Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) – 69:21:37
18. James Knox (Soudal Quick-Step) – 69:24:42
19. Diego Ulissi (XDS Astana Team) – 69:26:29
20. Embret Svestad-Bårdseng (Arkea-B&B Hotels) – 69:29:10
21. Louis Meintjes (Intermarché - Wanty) – 69:32:48
22. Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) – 69:35:14
23. Thymen Arensman (INEOS Grenadiers) – 69:37:15
24. Florian Stork (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) – 69:40:08
25. Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana Team) – 69:45:14

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