MORBEGNO – Garate reminds that At the 2005 Giro, he was also there in the wake of Simoni, Di Luca and Rujano after the Colle delle Finestre and towards SestriereThe same stage finale that the Giro riders will face on Saturday. For Carapaz, the only attacker bad enough to make us tremble Del Toro and already winner of a stage, the experience of its sporting director will be very importantThe start time for stage 18 is approaching, and the buses are parked almost three kilometers from the sign-in point. So the riders get dressed, go to sign in, and then return to finish their preparations.
On the morning when Carapaz turns 32 (the opening line is the response to the public's good wishes), the Giro starts from the bottom and from summer. Temperatures above thirty degrees which, thinking about the next two days in the mountains, remind us the proverbs of the elders about the stages run in the first heatRichard looked out from the bus for a second, passing his shorts to Stefano Del Cas, an Italian masseur from EF Education-EasyPost. Immediately after, he got out of the big pink bus. Juan Manuel Garate, sporting director, professional from 2000 to 2014 with only three teamsLampre, Quick Step and then Rabobank, which became Belkin when the Dutch bank withdrew from cycling. This is why the Basque from Irun, who turned 49 in April, speaks Italian so well and can guide us in the Giro di Carapaz which for many is the only credible alternative for the pink jersey of Del Toro.
Did you expect to be at this point in the Giro with Richard as the most credible challenger? Del Toro?
To tell the truth, it's really what I expected, what we've been working towards from afar. The Giro objective it started in September. It's no surprise that Richard is there, but we also know that anything can happen along the way.We're now in the ideal situation, at the end of the Giro, still with options to win it. It's what we wanted, what we've prepared for. We have legs and we were lucky, despite a couple of too many falls that we could have done without.
Should the two upcoming stages be thought about or should they be tackled headlong every day?
They need to be thought about, obviously. When you have 5.000 meters of altitude difference, you can't help but think. Furthermore, we are at the end of a tough Giro and the guys are all tired, not just mine. We have climbs ahead of us that I think are suitable for Richard: long climbs with gradients that are not impossible.These are the stages we wanted to close the Tour of ItalyHe's doing well, he's very motivated, very bright.
But yesterday on the Motte, Del Toro he had him on the ropes.
That'last 3 kilometer climb it wasn't the most suitable for him and fortunately there are no more tears like this. So we are optimistic.
Bernal ran alongside you the other day. Do you think there's anyone who can help you out, or will it be a head-to-head battle?
Ultimately, the race situation can change dramatically. There are those who want to make the top 10, there are those who still have to reach a top 5.There are those who think that maybe we will fail, so they have an interest in forcing things. Pellizzari he's coming along well and he dreams of winning a stage and getting a better rankingIn the end, it's the little things that, at important moments in the race, can make things go your way or your way. The situation is such that in the end If a rider is in the right place at the right time, he can change the fate of the race..
Is the team fit to help Richard?
We always have one in front of us, the boys are running wellWhen we know we're in a bit of trouble, we anticipate. When we know the race is going to break down at a certain point, we try to anticipate it to have a rider further ahead. It has always been like this until now and we have moved forward when it really mattered to us.. While for the rest of the time, they keep him protected and we don't show up much.
Which of the next two stages is best for Carapaz?
Well, both! I took the road that leads to Sestriere in 2005, when I was left behind Di Luca, Simoni and Rujano, who then won: it never endsEven if the slopes are not high, that valley and that road, which seems like it doesn't pull, in reality They're like quicksand: you can't get out of them. Tomorrow's stage, however, has a 5.000-meter elevation gain and this will require a very high level of effort, which I think is more suited to "Richie." And then obviously Colle delle Finestre will place one on each side and each one will practically go up on its own.
Did Carapaz do any reconnaissance of the route of the two stages?
No, we haven't done any reconnaissance. I did, I remember, and I know what we're talking about. We'll have to evaluate our timing and the timing of others. And above all we will have to run intelligentlyThe Giro d'Italia will certainly be at stake in the next two days.
