It took a lot of head to stay in the running after the blow to the knee on Etna and the one to the morale on the Blockhaus. Simon Yates wandered around for a few stages like a zombie at the back of the pack, trying to connect the dots.
«I admit that In the last few days I've been thinking a lot about retirement – he mutters – I still had problems with my knee, I had come to fight for victory and suddenly I had lost everything. Now I'm just thinking about fighting for a few more stages."
Twelve water bottles
The unfortunate Englishman of the Bike Exchange-Jayco today he was the smartest of allHe let them vent their rage up front. And when he realized the slope was right for him to come back, he did so and then launched the winning attack. One and only one. They could have answered him, certainly Hindley and Carapaz had the legs to do itBut when they realized that Simon's lead in the standings was reassuring to say the least, they preferred pretend you didn't see it. The only one to profess regret at that point was Nibali, as we have already said.
"When I started," Yates says, "it was a real battle. The guys in the GC were marking each other, while I was just looking for the stage, so I had to take advantage of that advantage. There were riders stronger than me up front, so I had to decide where to attack and do it well.I suffered from the heat and humidity, I couldn't really cool my body. I think I drank 10-12 bottles to allow my body to cool down."
Knee (almost) okay
After the blackout at the 2018 Giro, Yates was never the same againAnd even though his third-place finish last year almost went unnoticed, it's no secret that he was tipped for a spot this year.
«But I had a lot of problems with my knee – he admits – and I'm not 100 percent yet, but now I can stand on the pedalsI used to feel a lot of discomfort, and for me, who never sits on the saddle, it was a big problem. I finally feel where I should be, I'm a bit frustrated because I can't fight for the ranking anymore, but that's how it goes nowThe various leaders at the moment seem equivalent to me. Carapaz spent a lot of energy attacking firstThe others didn't give themselves any space, and that allowed me to leave, to take my chance. Maybe these stages aren't even made for certain riders, next week will be more suitable for them».
Carapaz and the rose
And so, ousted the young “Juanpe” Lopez, Richard Carapaz slipped back into the pink jersey he had won in Courmayeur in 2019, in the same Aosta Valley that will once again welcome the Giro tomorrow.
«Today was a very hard day – he says – Bora wanted to run in a way quite aggressiveWe thought everything would be different, but instead the group split up. My teammates stayed behind, but it went well.When I realized that many were at the limit, I tried to take advantage of it and attacked. There were four of us left, for me it was a good move, because many of the general classification lost significant time."
The Carapaz Dogma F has no layers of paint to keep the weight down The Ecuadorian attacked with 28 kilometers to go to distance his direct rivals
The Carapaz Dogma F has no layers of paint to keep the weight down The Ecuadorian attacked with 28 kilometers to go to distance his direct rivals
Complicated tour
When asked if he's been suffering from the heat, Carapaz rolls his eyes and moves on. In Ecuador, humidity and heat are not lacking.
"We have this kind of weather at my house too," he smiles. "It's not a problem, we knew it would be very hot. Next week is going to be quite complicated. The Giro will be decided, there are a lot of mountains and already after the rest there will be an important stage, like tomorrow tooIt's going to be tough. Tomorrow will be a different race. There are more mountains, and we'll have to defend ourselves. I know how to do it. The first time I wore the pink jersey I was younger. Now I have experience and a team to try to win it. There are strong riders who lost time in the first week, like Yates and Nibali. I think if they get back into the race, the Giro will be even more complicated."
