The video of Ganna who at the start of yesterday's stage carried on his shoulders the Moscow Trek and while pedaling he deposited it in front of the Shimano wheel changer it went viral on the web. The two did not know that shortly thereafter they would be fleeing towards Laguna Negra, because at the moment they were mostly busy having a laugh.
"A little joke," Mosca laughs during the post-stage massages, "one of those you play when you can, when you're a bit calm. I stole his Garmin because I had my bike next to his at the signing.I saw that he didn't have the string, I took it and said: "Here, if you want I'll sell it to you." He didn't immediately understand that it was his, but then while we were on stage, I saw him pick up my bike, after signing some autographs. And he waved goodbye to me…».
He says Cerea is doing a deep massage that sometimes even hurts, but okay, at least tomorrow morning (today, ed.) he will have his legs loose. Return it is still long and the task of the Piedmontese rider, whose contract renewal until 2025 was announced a few days ago, is to get into breakaways and lead sprints for Edward Theuns.
At the time of the prank, had you already planned to go on the run together?
No, everyone has their own way. But it doesn't take a genius to figure out that... If they want to run away with Thomas, Goofy is the one who will take her away.. Also because honestly, he actually took the breakaway away. He had already tried before with Bernal, but I think there was someone too close in the standings and the Jumbo He closed right away. Then after 30 kilometers he took the right one. He did it all. And on the final climb, he made me die.I thought I was fine, then I saw him pass by and shoot… But I'll make him pay for it this winter, I'll remember it on some outing (laughs, ed.).
How is this Vuelta going for you?
Very good, I'd say. We basically came here with the goal of the stages and we are trying every day.. Clearly today (yesterday, ed.) Vergaerde and I found ourselves in front of us and we weren't the best two to be in a breakaway with a mountain finish. But in the end, After 60 kilometers of sprints, it's understandable that not everything goes according to plan. Also because he and I are here for the flat stages and so far in the three sprints everything has gone pretty well. Let's see tomorrow in Zaragoza if we'll make another good one, but I don't think we'll have any problems recovering from today's efforts.
They don't look like they flew with a train running the show, right?
Alpecin is very well organised, so They flew so chaotically precisely because there was only one team trying to control them.Last time there was a crash at the 5km mark and we were all left behind. Luckily for me, though, I found Vlasov who had stayed behind, so the Bora did all the work and brought us back in with 1,5 kilometers to goAnd I found myself on Theuns's wheel and managed to outsprint him. So I also had a bit of luck.
What can be said about the controversies over security and the various neutralizations?
I have to say that In the end, the controversies are always made by those who are not on the road or in the group. In the Barcelona stage, unfortunately, the bad luck was that it rained on the very evening of the time trial and all the water that hadn't fallen in the last three months came downUntil a few hours earlier, it had been 35 degrees. The next day, it really rained heavily, and the road, as happens in seaside resorts when it hasn't rained for a long time, was slippery, and the final stage was too dangerous in any case. Fortunately, we found this middle ground, so the general times were taken 9 minutes from the finish, because the classification times must not be at riskIf you put a group of 170 riders on the first stage of the race, where everyone is fresh and motivated, it is clear that all the sprinters would have tried and even the GC men would have tried to hold onAnd on those streets there wasn't room for everyone.
Instead the other day in Caravaca de la Cruz, with the neutralization at two kilometers?
The organizers made a good choice. Of course, then the controversy arises, because someone says that with the uphill finish there was room to pass safely.But honestly, we riders are not geniuses, for once we use our brains there's not much you can say. If it's dangerous, why should I take the risk when the stage is already over and the general classification is already defined? and 200 meters from the finish there is a bend with mud? I passed after 80 riders and there were still a lot of themI imagine the frontriders had an even better view, while the team cars crashed into the parking lot after the finish. Something else needs to be said about the organizers...
What?
They're doing some great things, security-wise, for us. There are descents where you see mattresses to stop any falls, there are markers and everything you need. Then it is clear that there are always problems, there is always room for improvement, however for now we can't complainThey have this way of arriving in the middle of nowhere, but it's their choice: it doesn't make much difference to us.
What's it like being on the run, what kind of atmosphere is there, what kind of crowd?
Today for the first time on a climb I arrived when people were still really cheeringWhen you pass in the small group it's different, instead even if in the last kilometer I was already a bit behind, It was nice to see the enthusiasm of the fans, the real one.
What does it feel like to have renewed the contract for another two years?
Let's say that It was only made official now, but I had spoken with Luca Guercilena during the Sanremo period and it really took us two minutes to reach an agreement. I asked them what their idea was, he said he was happy with my work and that they wanted to keep me. My role in the team It's well defined now and fortunately it's quite solid. I'm happy, I finally feel recovered after the accident. Unfortunately, I still go a little too slowly uphill, but In my opinion, I'm going as strong as in 2021, it's the group that has accelerated...
We move on to other jokes. About the upcoming breakaways and sprints. About the Lidl-Trek acquisition campaign and the company. Elisa Longo Borghini now close to returning, who in the meantime is carrying out everything that is needed for the wedding in OctoberThere's the lightness of the post-stage and the serenity of having found a well-defined role in which to move well. The rest will be told by the road.Starting with the one towards Zaragoza. The start is at 1:58 PM, with arrival expected at 5:30 PM. Along the way, there are a couple of small climbs and the announcement of another sprint.
