The senior road captain's most important ride of the Giro. When Gee-West's attack threatened to dislodge Arensman from fourth, Bernal — a former Giro champion himself — guided his Dutch teammate back onto the rivals' wheels before finishing sixth on the stage. A telling sign of his continued comeback: strong enough to be decisive in the finale of a Grand Tour mountain stage in service of a teammate.

• Guided Arensman back to the GC group to protect his 4th place

Bernal was in the select lead group of six that remained when Vingegaard attacked at 6.5 km, but could not respond to the surge. He came home seventh on the stage at +2:04 and sits tenth overall at +9:44, holding a top-ten GC place but well off the podium battle.

• 6.5 kmIn the six-rider GC group at the moment Vingegaard attacked but unable to follow

Bernal finished tenth on the stage at +2:08, same time as Wout Poels and Jan Hirt, riding into the line with the tail of the front group. A respectable day in the high mountains that kept him in contention behind the leaders.

• Tenth on the stage at +2:08

Bernal could not match the very best on the Corno, conceding a little over a minute to finish 17th at +1:12.

• Finished 17th at +1:12, losing modest time to the GC leaders

Bernal was Pellizzari's most resilient challenger, the only GC rider able to follow Michael Storer's surge and limit the damage on Montoppio while Arensman cracked behind. Second on the stage and second overall at +40 — a strong marker on his ongoing comeback and a clear win in the INEOS internal battle with Arensman.

• Followed Storer's pace on the final climb to secure 2nd overall as Arensman dropped

Bernal stayed aggressive, attacking inside the final 3 km to test the GC group before settling for third on the stage in the same time as the winner. He stayed locked to Pellizzari's wheel throughout the tightly packed GC week, second overall in waiting.

• 3 kmAttacked the GC group inside the final 3 km

The 2019 Tour and 2021 Giro champion was in the front group at Val Martello, fourth on the stage in the same time as the winner — another marker on his long comeback arc. He would emerge as Pellizzari's most resilient challenger across the week, ultimately taking second overall.

• In the GC group at the summit, 4th on the stage

Bernal was Pellizzari's most persistent rival, in the front group every mountain day and third on Stage 3 in Arco. On the final climb he was the only GC man able to follow Storer's pace surge while teammate Arensman cracked, securing second overall — another substantial marker on a comeback that keeps trending upward.

• Followed Storer on the final climb to take 2nd overall as Arensman dropped