PIAZZOLA SUL BRENTA – The third week began with the great climbs and mountain stages, the ones that the crowds love and flock to. Outbursts, attacks, collapses and strong emotionsOne day the Giro seems to take one direction and twenty-four hours later you find yourself having to recalibrate everything. But if the men in the general classification live for these days, there are those who try to survive in the mountain stages: the sprinters..
The opportunities to win a stage are still alive. Today in Cesano Maderno the fast wheels will find themselves launched towards a sprint, or so it should beIn cycling, as in sports in general, there are few certainties. One of these is that when the road climbs, the heavier riders suffer.
The best for the end
Resisting and pushing on the pedals when the race is minutes ahead and next to you you can only hear the labored breathing of another sprinter focused on regulating his heart rate and watts is not an easy job. Among those who have good reasons to grit their teeth and move on there is certainly Sam BennettThe sprinter of the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale capable of winning three stages at the Giro, two at the Tour de France and five at the Vuelta.
A curious fact about the Irishman comes from the major stage races. Bennet is one of the few sprinters who in his career has been able to win twice in the final stage, at the Giro and at the Tour.
The first question is: how does a sprinter find the motivation to get to the end of the third week?
I just have to break the race down into stages, looking day by day. Then you have to climb mountains and survive, it's difficult but it's part of cycling.
What's the hardest part?
The climbs (he says with a laugh that involves us, ed.)!
True, but which part, the mental or physical one?
At the moment I answer the physical one. I've had a difficult time these days, especially in the Asiago stage.In fact, the last day of rest came at the right time. Now I feel better.
How do you mentally manage it all?
By now I have experience, I have taken on many Grand Tours and I have had difficult moments in each of them. One thing I've realized is that no matter how much I'm suffering, there's little I can do.You have to stay focused and it will pass. The climbs are difficult but they are part of the race, we need to understand whether the legs can keep up with the pace or not.
What have you learned over the years?
To never panic. It doesn't matter where you are in the group or how much pain you're in or how tired you are, never panic. Because you'll always find a way out.
So, are you ready and already thinking about Rome?
I actually hope today's stage ends with a sprint. It's hard to say because there could be a breakaway.
How do you manage the sprint in the final stage of a Grand Tour?
Tactically it's difficult because everyone wants to win. But from a certain point of view the last sprint is also the easiest because you know that then everything is over and you can relax.Even if you've put in a lot of miles and are really tired, you still manage to get the best out of it. The level isn't high because not everyone finishes in tip-top shape. The legs count, but so does the head: just turn off the brain for the head to give up a thousand times before the body.
