MARTINSICURO (TE) – One for Sanremo, the other for Tirreno and confidence. The stage started from Tagliacozzo was spared by the rain, but not by the effortAnd in the end, the Abruzzo ups and downs split the group, keeping the cream of the crop at the front. Those left behind paid the price for the steep slopes and probably for not yet having fully adapted to the fatigue. Those in front, however, gave each other a good beating and In the end, the most lucid of all was once again Van der Poel, on target after San Gimignano.
Yet the most incredible and fascinating note is Pellizzari's second place in the sprint earned him a time bonus and the leader's jerseyThe last rider from the Marche region to have worn it was Scarponi in 2010, the year after the 2009 triumph. The fact that we arrive in Camerino on Saturday where Michele (in 2009) won the stage and the final record has a poignant flavour in its own way.
«It will take me a while to realize this thing – says Pellizzari visibly excited – I hope to do it as soon as possible, I want to try to enjoy this shirt as much as possibleThis morning in the group I was thinking about when was the last time I took a break. Del Toro And I think it happened in the juniors. We had fun at the Tour de l'Avenir a few years ago, then he finished 2025 second in the world while I was a bit further back (smiles, ed.). Trying to close the gap is a great motivationThis Tirreno doesn't have the long climbs that I prefer, but I have to say that even on the short ones I feel like I've grown and I'm happy about that."
Van der Poel's plan
Van der Poel says he has a little sorry for not having run the Strade Bianche, which is also one of his favorite races. But he adds that he and the team followed the same plan that has proven successful in the past and that they preferred not to change.
«I came to the Tirreno-Adriatico looking for greater resistance – he says – which can only be achieved by competing and giving your all to win stages. It would be very difficult for me to simulate the same conditions in training.. For example, today I started uphill to react to the pressure of Del ToroI felt pretty good, but I doubted that attacking was a good idea, since the route to the finish line was not suitable for an attacker. For this reason I tried to keep calm and do everything perfectly until the finish lineI know everyone looks at me in these cases, but I think I handled the ending in the best way."
The new Pellizzari
At a certain point, Pellizzari thought about attacking on the Tortoreto climb, then he realized that he would do it too Del Toro and he put himself on hold. So when the Mexican fired his cartridge, Giulio followed with relative ease.
«I tried not to let him go away – he smiles – and in the sprint… I don't know exactly what happenedI was behind, but in front they stopped in the middle of the road, I found the gap and now, more than satisfied, I am in disbelief. I find myself for the first time to defend a leader's jersey, moreover on the roads and in the affection of my Marche: it seems like a dream to me. I've been thinking a lot lately about how things have changed my role in the teamIt's definitely not easy, but I'm happy to have so many champions around me from whom I've learned a lot.
«Last year everything was easier, Today there is pressure to get results, but I like it and I'm learning to manage itAt dinner in the evening, I look at my companions and think it's incredible. I'm the same, I keep my feet on the ground. The only thing that has changed is my English: Now I can even have real conversations with someone like Roglic."
Sanremo rehearsals
Van der Poel is the picture of calm, but when he's on the bike in the final stages, he doesn't put a foot wrong. Its most immediate horizon is the Sanremo and he doesn't hide itSome say that today's stage was designed as a test for the Classicissima, but it is Mathieu who is the first to put things back in the right order.
«In some ways he resembled him – he says – but above all I think that These strains and these stimuli are what I need to get into top shapeIt was a pretty tough day, with a high pace all day long from the UAE Emirates And then some bad weather in the mountains. Being able to finish a day like this is a significant sign.
«I don't think about Sanremo every day, but it's one of my main goals. It's special and hard to winI've been lucky enough to do it twice already, and obviously I'd love to do it again. That said, the Tortoreto climb is completely different from the Poggio, and you could also get there with fewer kilometers in your legs. But if the climbing time was really the same, then it was a good preparation.: for me and for others, for example Ganna. Last year he already showed how strong he is and after Monday's time trial and his performances on the climbs, he is showing that he is in good shape."
Evidence of the future
Pellizzari says it almost with modesty that he will also do the SanremoThe team proposed it to him before the Strade Bianche, adding the Classicissima to the package of which the Milan-Turin was already part.
“I said yes right away,” he says, “because I think it’s a fantastic race and I’ll go there to help. I will try to have experiences, have fun and I will try to enjoy itLuckily, the thing I've improved the most since last year (and that I've learned from my more experienced teammates) is the ability to file and move within the group, which is very important at Sanremo. Today too I took the wheel of Del Toro and that's something that makes me proud.
«More generally I think that the change is comprehensive, I felt different ever since I got back on my bike after the holidaysThere's still a lot to do, I try to do my best every day and always improve, trying to enjoy life as a cyclist a little."
There's a lot of Italy in the top ten of this stage of the Tirreno. In addition to Pellizzari, take note of the names of Vendrame, Pinarello, Ganna and Ciccone who finished in eleventh place and was in a state of agony at the finish line. The Tirreno-Adriatico is in full swing: from tomorrow, Sanremo will be an afterthought.The top-seeded teams will be busy giving each other a good beating: first in Mombaroccio and on Saturday in Camerino.
The gaps are minimal and the route is probably more suitable for Del Toro than to Pellizzari, but in the meantime we'll take it away Van der Poel's sly smile who won on the same day that his father Adrie also won his only stage of the Tirreno in Ancona in 1984. And then Pellizzari's blissful and naive smile who this time, contrary to what he did the other day in San Gimignano, did the sprint with his hands under his feet.
