It's 3 climbs back to back to back with little flat between. Those "cat 2s" are bonafide cat 1 climbs. 17.2km at 5.7% is NOT cat 2. It's a higher end cat 1. 15.3km at 5.5% is also a solid cat 1. Even the final climb of 10.1km at 5.2% is a solid cat 2.
Maybe he goes on that 9% section of the final climb
So you think he's going to drop Bernal on the 9% section, do a faster descent as well, into the valley where there is a measily 4k flat section waiting? He'll take seconds at best on the climb itself, that is if he doesn't run into a counter and actually lose seconds, he'll risk taking too many risks in the descent where he's not going to go faster than a Colombian with a MTB track record anyway, just in order to take 20 seconds in the valley. Well, that's what i think, it's simply not worth it. Especially knowing it's still 10 days from Milan, with all the major climbs still coming.
If anything, he should have made a deal with Bernal and Ganna, to ride to the finish earlier today/yesterday after their boni sprint, along with Cavagna and/or Almeida. I think they could have taken extra time in the remaining 15k, on Vlasov, Carthy, Yates ea. And if it didn't work out, nothing lost but a 10 minute effort before rest day.
Anyway, that's what i think. If circumstances present themselves, by all means. And if he turns out the better man on the sterrati stage, even better.