For the 13th Giro d'Italia of his career (he also rode 2 Tours and 9 Vueltas), Dario Cataldo found himself in the room with Ciccone, the boy who in one way or another has always frequented his house, of which starting from 2022 he is become a gregarious. Needless to say, they all dreamed of another Giro and that Giulio's misstep on the Blockhaus had not been included in any possible forecast, if not in the drawer of nightmares, which for superstition and space reasons, is always kept well hidden.
After the rest day in Pescara and yesterday's… tough stage towards Jesi won by Girmay, la Trek-Segafredo has begun to reorganize, shifting its attention to objectives lower than the general classification, but no less challenging. And Cataldo, who has seen it all in his life, is ready to do his part. Also because Lopez's pink jersey it's still the family treasure and defending it gives a different meaning to the days.
How are you?
It's a nice environment. We can work very well, the guys are all close-knit, you couldn't ask for better.I've always chased the pink jersey, dreamed of it all my life. And now I see her there always passing in front of me or I have her next to meOr I see her leaning on a chair. It's a nice feeling...
In the meantime, however, the objectives have changed. Will Cataldo also break away?
I'm not thinking about it. I'm thinking about doing well for the team, then if it happens, it will be done… However, if there is an escape and since we have men who have to go there, if I'm there, at least they'll be there too. So, if I don't help in the back, I'll help in the front (laughs, ed.).
Who are you talking about?
Mollema has already come close. Skjelmose, who in theory had started to make the rankingsHe's very young and it's his first experience in the Giro, so he was given a bit of freedom, even if it didn't go as hoped. However, now he's there and he's also giving Lopez a hand, but if he finds some opportunity, he could look for a stop. In short, We also need people to lend a hand, so we can't all have the same freedomIt's not something that particularly weighs on me, because in the end I left to help, so I'm fine with it.
What do you say about Lopez?
He came to do some stages, then once he took the jersey he obviously continued to hold on. We knew he would be strong on the climbs., we had no doubts about this (the two are also together in the opening photo during the rest day, ed.)
What happened to Ciccone the other day?
He had the worst day in the worst stageIf that happened to him on a 5k climb, he might have dropped away from 30 riders and lost a couple of minutes. In short, he could have straightened things out. However, on a day like that of the Blockhaus, unfortunately, you cannot save yourself., because there's still a long way to go and if you can't defend yourself, you can't do anything about it.
Did you explain why?
Remember Nibali's 2015 Tour, the year after he won it? He had a difficult day, he was dropped by 30 riders, he lost a lot of ground and everyone started talking about the debacle of the king of the Tour. (it happened in the Pyrenean stage of Cauterets, when Vincenzo arrived 1'10” behind the leading group, ed.).
Instead?
Instead he had had a difficult day, so much so that a few days later he won at La Toussuire. It usually happens when you get your first real hot dayThe body struggles to adapt, but then you return to your normal state and I think that was the case for Giulio. He had a difficult day, but lthere was a condition, so much so that on Tuesday in Jesi he was there fightingI don't think it was a psychological problem, as some analyses suggest. Honestly, I I understand the feeling you had.
Can you describe it to us?
You feel like you're fine, as long as you start to get hot and feel that your body is suffering a little. Then the climb begins and maybe you have the wind from behind, which therefore makes you feel the heat even moreIt's a bit like being on rollers. It's one of the first bad heats of the year, there's not a breath of air because that little air speed is the same one you are doingIn short, you get a huge heatwave. If they accelerate at that moment, you explode. You can't move on and you can't even handle itIt happened to me too, it's the typical feeling of those days. In all my years of racing, I've seen it a few times. Many people are there analyzing a thousand things, I have it quite clear.
Blockhaus, the climb begins. Cataldo immediately realizes that Ciccone isn't the brightest. At the finish, the Trek-Segafredo leader will have a very heavy score: 9'26” from Hindley
Blockhaus, the climb begins. Cataldo immediately realizes that Ciccone isn't the brightest. At the finish, the Trek-Segafredo leader will have a very heavy score: 9'26” from Hindley
Did you talk about it right away?
In the evening in the room. I told him, "You'll see, you'll feel better tomorrow. You'll recover and on Tuesday you'll be ahead.". As it then happened in Jesi and as happened to Vincenzo, who in that Tour finished fourth, not tenth. So that means he had the condition, he just had a rough day. The catch is thatand in a big Giro you can't afford to have a bad day. At least not every day.
He chose the right one…
If you have a day like Potenza, which was tough, you might lose your way in the last few kilometers. I told him that if after Passo Lanciano we had done the Colonnetta di Chieti, which is 5 kilometers, he still took it in the teeth, but the race finished sooner and he lost less time. But when you still have things to do Roccamorice, bye!
You mentioned Nibali, what do you think of him?
He's a player who grows. He doesn't show you the fireworks right away; at first he always seems to be defending himself, then... when the final week comes it pulls out some numbers when you least expect it.
During the Jesi stage, the group passed through the heart of Filottrano, a temple of memory of Michele Scarponi Astana at the start with water bottles dedicated to the captain, with the image of Frankie the parrot At the site of the accident, in Filottrano, a mural dedicated to Michele was created The Giro's passage through Scarponi's Marche hometown moved the fans and some riders
During the Jesi stage, the group passed through the heart of Filottrano, a temple of memory of Michele Scarponi Astana at the start with water bottles dedicated to the captain, with the image of Frankie the parrot At the site of the accident, in Filottrano, a mural dedicated to Michele was created The Giro's passage through Scarponi's Marche hometown moved the fans and some riders
Did you think you'd be so good in Jesi?
It was known, having to drop the sprinters. They made it tough right from the start when the climbs began, and we pushed hard on the last two. The second to last in progression, the last to do the shredding. And so the general classification riders, the classics riders and the few sprinters who tried to do the sprint held firm.
What did you think as you passed through Filottrano?
I've seen your photos. When we passed the -45 finish line sign on the climb, the group was moving along at a good pace, focused on the race. But whoever was there that day knows that on the left there is the cemetery. So in the end who knew Michele, He experienced a day like the one in Jesi in a different way...
