Pozzovivo stops on the right with a grimace of fatigue and at the same time a smile that shines from the eyes. In the end he even attacked, attacking the strongest riders in the Giro. A small club of which the little Lucanian is a part, despite his thousand ailments. As well as on the Mur d'Huy, the best of the Italians was him: the observation will deserve in-depth reflections, But this is the moment for applause and storytelling.
He winks. He says he has back pain from the position he's forced to maintain, and when asked if being so crooked penalizes him, he replies with wonderful clarity: «It would be penalizing, if there were an alternative!».
With the best
Behind the first, Runners arrive one by one in a procession that will continue until 13 minutes before the time limit. Everyone ranked on the Blockhaus, only Rudiger didn't finish it: 166 of them will leave on Tuesday, tomorrow is the day of rest which is providential.
«I was hoping for a day like this – says Pozzovivo, while he entrusts himself to the care of the masseur of the Intermarché-Wanty Five years ago I finished sixth, but behind. This time I fought until the end., even though sprinting isn't my forte. The performance was very good.
«The legs are there, I struggle a bit with back pain, but if I've held up today after six hours, it means I'm thereThis was an important crossroads to decide whether to rank or not and The response was positive. I'll rank them.».
Fans on the rise
Between the folds of the story, the running dynamics also come outWe asked him if Porte's work was really as terrible as it seemed on the big screens and the implication goes beyond simple speed.
«Porte's work did a lot of harm – says Pozzovivo – The most difficult moment was when he accelerated with the crosswind. Nowadays, even uphill, they fan out. (He gives a disconsolate grin, ed.) I had a bit of a nightmare about Etna. As soon as it started to put us on the edge, I made a maximum effort to cover myself and then it took me two kilometers to recover. There I also saw that I could breathe well. A good sign to stay up to the topI usually like long climbs, and this was a good sign. I remembered the climb, but I didn't come to see it. It was so hard, I didn't want to put my finger on the wound.I said I wanted to compete in the mountain stages and here I am…».
Golden experience
In the leading group, in addition to the young winner, Carapaz and Landa, For a long stretch we observed the pedal strokes of Nibali, Valverde and Domenico himself. “Kids” with great experience, who made up for the power gap with their skill.
«Experience counts for a lot – he says – five years ago I had a moment of difficulty around 8 kilometers from the finish and I overcame itThat served as a reference for me. Almeida, Hindley, and I managed the chase, because the three in front were a small step ahead. We weren't that far away, so I'm looking forward to the Giro with optimism.Next week is probably the least challenging of the three, but it ends with an important weekend. Tomorrow I have to study…».
