NAPLES – He appeared against the light from the end of the straight and it was impossible to tell who he was. The sprint against Stuyven and Magnier seemed never-ending., then from the downpour that washed Naples in the last five minutes of the race, it appeared the incredulous and exhausted face of David Ballerini, stage winner (embraced by Scaroni at the beginning).
When he came to a stop, the Canturino collapsed on his bike in the middle of the masseurs. XDS-Astana, trying to catch my breath. Hugs, pats, and smiles mixed with incomprehensible sounds. He should have pulled the sprint to malucelli, but when he fell it was Matteo who shouted at him to go, that there was a gap. And Ballero executed it to perfection. A Neapolitan sprint in the Northern Classics style, the top three weren't there by chance.
A cobbled hairpin bend
Perhaps not everyone had that last bend and the subsequent steep climb clearly in mind. All in all, it's difficult to define it as a sprint finish, as a finish line for sprinters is usually understood. It was clear, looking at it closely, that it would not be possible to launch a fast sprint. It was clear that from that curve we would have started again almost from a standstillSo, when the first drops of rain fell and the group entered that hairpin bend too cheerfully, the crash was inevitable. Whoever was able to enter it first won the race.
«I don't think I realize it yet – Ballerini says immediately – obviously I knew I had to take the lead at the last corner and I did it.. Then I saw on the left that the first two on the left had fallen. And I didn't even have time to realize it and Malucelli himself got on the radio and told me to leave because they had all fallen. I did it and hoped until the finish line that no one would pass me."
The Milan train
Milan, speaking in the middle of the street with a group of journalists, has just finished saying that he doesn't understand why certain finishes are drawn, if the stage is meant to be for sprinters. He says that on these roads, a few drops of rain are enough and it feels like driving on ice. The bitterness on the Friulian's face is evident, but between the regrets of this Giro, today there is little to complain about.
If anything, it could be think about the level of his train. On the fact that Stuyven should have held him back and that Teuns' absence deprived him of another key player. But on this ending, even if he had reached it in the lead with a teammate ahead of him, Its 84 kilos would have been too much to throw in such a small spaceIt wasn't an arrival for Milan.
Between disbelief and modesty
When we hang up on Ballerini, he had time to realize he had won, but his words do not convey the exaltation that one might expect.
«There are many difficult moments in cycling – says Ballerini – happy moments are very few compared to the hours and time spent away from homeSo we have to fully experience the good things that happen to us. The most critical moment you can experience is when you do things well, you train at home, you eat, you weigh your food, you go to bed early at night for two months, then you go to competitions and you expect a lot, but the results don't come. That's... the moment when you must not get discouraged, you must always stay positive and keep pushing. I always say that sooner or later the wheel turns for everyone."
Winning with Cavendish
He says smiling that he feels like a sprinter, one of those who in a tough stage like yesterday's in Potenza, he manages to save his leg and finds himself with more energy in the following days. Yet as he speaks, we almost have the feeling that he feels embarrassed. So to understand better, we asked him if he didn't feel more satisfied, helping Cavendish to set the Tour stage record.
«I have to tell the truth – confirms Ballerini – when Cavendish won it was really as if I was winningWe've done so many training camps, so many days together. You see your teammates more than your family, and together you experience so many emotions, even those outside of cycling. Everyone has their own specific task, and when that work pays off, it's like a victory. It must also be said that you work hard, but only one wins. Yet in my heart I know I helped Mark, I know he's proud of meAnd it's a wealth of experience that I brought with me and for that I have to thank him, Morkov, and the other people involved in that project.
"I won today," Ballerini continued. "I knew there were these cobblestones, we knew they were very uneven, and I also knew there was a chance of rain. Everyone knows that as soon as there's a little water here, the road becomes slippery. But at certain finishes, you switch off. If you think about these things, you put on the brakes and you don't make the sprint.And you also need a bit of luck. Three people fell next to me, and if I'd gone a little faster I would have fallen too. It doesn't seem like it, but in cycling you need brains, legs, and a lot of luck."
The dream of the classics
They point out to him that he won on a cobbled climb and on a rainy day, where all the skills of a rider who has always dreamed of excelling in the cobblestone classics were needed. He looks up and it's clear that a little melancholy is linked to the North.
«This year I went to the North – explains Ballerini – with the intent to achieve some good resultsObviously I know that winning is difficult, because there are three or four really strong and difficult to catch up with. But I expected... a placement or something that would repay me for all the effort I made, but it didn't comeWell, we have to keep pushing. I've always liked the Classics, and I always will. My heart is in Belgium, that's for sure, and I'll try again until the end."
It's a shame about the fall, but happy for Ballerini: a heartfelt boy and a great athlete. And it's a shame for those two idiots who, in Marigliano, near a roundabout, they tried to make the riders fall, while the third one filmed them with his cell phone. As president of theACCPI and CPA representative, Cristian Salvato said that a complaint will be filedThe police identified them, and both were given a DASPO order. The lack of empathy in some people is incredible, incapable of understanding the harm they could have caused. Other people's lives aren't a video game or a trend on some stupid social media.
