VOGHERA (PV) – On the day in which the pink jersey passed from the shoulders of the young Afonso Eulalio to those of the more solid jonas vingegaard Davide Piganzoli also had a hand in it. The Valtellinese, who arrived this year at the Visma Lease a Bike he actually concretized the great work of Sepp Kuss by giving a decisive push, triggering the Dane's decisive move. Once the job was done, Piganzoli didn't get up, but he held firm, even keeping pace with Felix Gall for a while. After leaving the Austrian's wheel he then found himself with the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe duo, formed by Jai Hindley and her great friend Giulio Pellizzari.
The road highlighted the qualities of the boy who grew up at the court of Ivan Basso, where he learned a lot and became the solid rider he is now. Arriving in the WorldTour was the next step to further grow, even if this led him to do a different job at the moment.
Winning the pink jersey was a goal for the second week of the Giro at home Visma Lease a Bike. A result that seemed simple, but Vingegaard's words made it clear that the stage with arrival in Pila had become crucial to the success of the plan.
How does it feel to finally be wearing the pink jersey?
Finally yes – Piganzoli reiterates – Yesterday at the start from Aosta we arrived with a plan which was to win the stage and take the pink jersey. Everything went well, so I'd say it's very good.
You were the one who made the final push before the attack…
We did a perfect job for Jonas (Vingegaard, ed.), then I managed to bring it to the point indicated in the finalWe were all doing well in the team and we proved it clearly, we are the strongest team.
Is the third week, the most difficult one, missing?
Rome is still far away, isn't it? but we managed to build up a good lead (2' 26” on Eulalio who currently occupies second place, ed.). We will try to maintain this.
What does it mean to you to race for a team like Visma and contribute to the challenge for the pink jersey?
I'm definitely very excited, but I'm also satisfied with the path I've taken and my growth over the yearsI'm really proud to be part of this team.
Can you tell us about the journey you feel you've taken with the team this year?
I have definitely improved a lot from a nutritional point of view, I think that when you have the chance to run alongside a rider like Vingegaard and in such a strong team you are bound to improve. Then the head does the rest.
So, has growth also been mental in these months?
We started working with the Giro team already in DecemberFrom the first training camps, then in January we went to high altitude. We raced Paris-Nice and the Vuelta a Catalunya with Vingegaard to learn and get to know each other. Once the races were over we went back to work at altitude., I think that this very specific approach has helped me grow a lot.
What does it mean to be part of the WorldTour?
As I said before, it makes me very proud of how I've worked in the past years and the leap I've made this year. I think it's going to be fun.
What ambitions do you have?
For now, this Giro aims to reach Rome wearing the pink jersey. Then we'll see.
The Coronation of Kuss
The performances and ambitions of Davide Piganzoli they are as strong as the legs that push the boy born in 2002, and the consecration also comes from his teammates who have gotten to know him in recent monthsThe voice that supports the Valtellina native's words is that of Sepp Kuss, who after the Pila stage stated that Piganzoli's contribution is fundamental.
«He's an incredible rider – says the American – but also a good person, really. He knows how to run, how to help others and you can see that he is a kind person. and he's also the kind of rider you want by your side. He is not only strong but also a good teammateIn my opinion he was already very strong before, when he was at Polti.
«I think that for him too – he continues – the mere fact of being able to run at the head of the races, have a goal every day in a team like this and working for a great leader is the biggest differenceAnd for this reason he can learn a lot and make great strides, even in terms of learning to race with the idea of taking care of the general classification. And that's something you can only learn by actually being on a team that does it.».
