At Campo Moro he wins again Juan Ayuso. The Spanish of Colpack-Ballan He scored a hat-trick, but his opponents certainly didn't give it a try. They had clear ideas from the morning onwards. Those who were supposed to complete the stage were visibly more focused than those who were setting out to finish within the maximum time limit or had no particular racing ambitions. Healy and his partner GloagThey were among those who had something to play for, and indeed they were sphinxes. A few hours later, however, they would once again be among the day's "losers."
Even if it takes courage to call these guys defeated, who find themselves fighting for the pink jersey in these conditions and who rode a stage as true protagonists.
DSM tenacious, Healy destroyed
La dsm Development in particular he always kept the escape under control. He never left him too much space, a bit like what we saw done at BikeExchange in the Giro dei grandi when he was looking for victory with Simon Yachts. The Germans wanted to bring Henri Vandenabeele (on the left in the opening photo) in front of the foot of the long final climb.
«We put two men to pull – he explains garofoli as he asks for water after the finish – to control the breakaway and then close the gap. We always set the pace. Then I was the last man on the climb. I moved with about 7 kilometers to go, to launch Henri. But against an Ayuso like that, it's tough. By the way, how much did Henri gain?
We explain to the Lazio rider that his teammate is third, about a minute behind. He spreads his arms and puts on his long jersey.
Meanwhile, behind him, he passes by Thomas Gloag (quarter of the day), of the Trinity Racing, perhaps the most exhausted at the 2.000-plus meters of this road in the shadow of the Bernina. It must be said, however, that the Irishman He was also the first to congratulate Vandenabeele on the good climb they conducted together, even if it was a climb done in pursuit.
Vandenabeele's smile
And the Flemish rider, considered one of the favorites at the start in Cesenatico, gave it a try. He pushed hard, trying to resist Ayuso's attack, but then had to "give up." After the finish, however, he was smiling.
"I think my team did an incredible job for me today," the Belgian explained. "It was a very tough stage. I tried to hold on after the Colombian guy's acceleration (Jesus Pena Jimenez, ed.) and Auyso, but then they had too strong a pace for me.
«Do you see me smiling? What should I do? Right now, it's like this: Ayuso is stronger. I can only promise that I'll keep trying. We've come from difficult stages, and there are more difficult ones to come. I can fight for the podium, and that must become my goal."
Ultimately, his analysis, though made in the heat of the moment, is perhaps the most correct: for now, that's how it is. We can only continue to give our best.
Brave Viking
As the riders continue to parade beneath the Campo Moro finish line, which closely resembles the one in Ceresole Reale at the 2019 Giro, amidst tunnels, rocks, snowfields, dams, and ibex... Norwegian Tobias Johannessen also indulges in massage therapy. He's one of the illustrious "losers." Like his colleagues already mentioned he was here to win the U23 Tour. With his shirt open, the Viking doesn't seem to feel the cold. He asks for a can of orange juice and stays there, behind the finish line, longer than the others. Compared to Vandenabeele, however, he laughs less, much less.
"It's been a very tough Giro for me so far, and today there was a really long climb to do," Tobias says with his eyes half-closed. "I finished a bit behind, but I really couldn't have done any more."
Tobias is undoubtedly the one trying to attack the Spanish ace the most. Yesterday, he also tried to break away on the Selvino descent, taking advantage of the rain and snatching a few seconds from the pink jersey in the sprint at San Pellegrino Terme. Today, however, he regained them, and with interest, despite finishing fifth.
«It is very difficult, if not impossible, to beat Auyso now – concludes the Norwegian – Juan is supposed to have some bad days. The podium is certainly my goal, but I want to win, at least one stage, I'll always try and see what happens."
