ALASSIO – There's only one noun that comes to mind for Annemiek Van Vleuten: cannibal. In the seventh stage of the Giro Donne The pink jersey leaves nothing to anyone and at the top of the sanctuary of the Madonna della Guardia in Alassio she triumphs alone again, obtaining her third partial success in the race. Behind her, a handful of seconds behind, come Labous and Realini who now follow her in order also in the general classification. (respectively at 3'56” and 4'25”).
At the presentation of the race, the Savona fraction had been indicated as the most insidious and the last chance to play the all-in for the rankingAll or nothing, just like in 2016 when, in a virtually identical stage won by Evelyn Stevens, Megan Guarnier managed to dethrone Mara Abbott and secure that edition of the Giro d'Italia. And expectations were not betrayed although this time it happened halfway or at least in the positions behind Van Vleuten. Ewers, second in the morning, went into crisis on the last two climbs and it's a two-place sprint. Same for Mavi Garcia, while Magnaldi, quietly, enters the top five with full merit.
Gaia on the podium
Realini when she crosses the finish line she is literally exhaustedShe gets off her bike, supported by the Lidl-Trek masseuse who sits her on the ground to let her catch her breath. She pours a small bottle of cold water over her, which evaporates on her still-warm engine. Gaia didn't overrev, but on the sanctuary of Alassio her engine capacity went to high revsA few minutes later, Realini is a different person under the podium. Smiling and hopeful, waiting for confirmation that she's third overall. As soon as she learns this, she becomes even more chatty than she usually is in interviews.
«Today the goal – says Gaia, seeming even more morally light-hearted – It was to get into the top 3 and we achieved it, so I'm very happyIn this morning's pre-race meeting we said that this was the stage where we could make the difference and get as many minutes as possible into the standings. I gave it my all until the end and it was really hard.All of us athletes have seven stages in our legs that make themselves felt. We rest for a day with a bit of psycho-physical relaxation but while remaining super focused on the last two stages because in Sardinia we will have to keep our eyes wide open».
"On the penultimate climb," continues the 2001-born rider, who also holds the white jersey in the Giro Donne, "Van Vleuten made the breakthrough. Labous and I gritted our teeth to keep up with her as we crested the summit. By the final kilometer, we were flat out. In my head, I was thinking about holding on to pull away as much as possible from Ewers. Van Vleuten had the extra strength to pull away and give us those seconds of advantage at the finish.. But that's okay, I'm super happy. Now I'm enjoying my day off."
For Elisa
Realini this year immediately found a connection with her teammates, especially with Longo Borghini. And' as if the Italian champion had taken Gaia under her wing to teach her to take flight on her ownAfter Longo Borghini's forced retirement, there was curiosity to see how Realini would perform without his captain. And here we are.
"The day Elisa crashed," explains Gaia, who has already finished third overall in the Vuelta this season with one stage, "I immediately notified the team car. As I told you two days ago, I was very worried. In the evening when she returned to the hotel and they told us she wouldn't be leaving, I took it a little badly.Morally, it was a big blow for me. For me, she's a role model in everything. However, Elisa reassured me by telling me that I could play my cards right.. In fact, she encouraged me to believe that the podium was within my reach. I believed Elisa's words to the end and today I dedicate this stage and general podium to her.».
The cannibal
The competitive voracity of Van Vleuten divides the audience.Winning every time the opportunity presents itself or leaving something to others? You'll never have the right answer; perhaps you always need to put each circumstance into context. We can certainly say that behind the smile he has in victories and in front of the microphone there is a strong character as he shows in the post-ceremonialLet's say that she establishes the order of the protocol between anti-doping and interviews, with all due respect (and anticipation) for those who want to ask her a few quick questions in the mixed zone. The UCI correspondents are also waiting and there's not much that can be done., especially if it has started to rain heavily in the meantime.
"We rode as a team," Van Vleuten said of his success, "and today we were perfect in defending the jersey. A great job was done. A favorable situation was created at the end of todayLabous and Realini were fighting for the overall podium and for me it was the perfect opportunity to attack again. I hadn't planned to do it because I didn't think I'd end up like thisMy teammates started pulling to close the gap, and we thought about Lippert leading the race. Then we stayed in front in a small group, and at that point I thought about winning. Last night when we arrived we did a reconnaissance and I saw that there was a beautiful view to go upI enjoyed the view and today I'm really happy to have won up here."
«I don't think I'm a cannibal – Van Vleuten confides to us with great spontaneity – I'm just an athlete who trains hard for many hours and for many kilometers. I can tell you that my desire to win comes from motivations. Getting the best out of myself and that makes me happy. Furthermore, winning also makes my team and my teammates happy, who always do a great job.I think it's a fitting recognition that I want to give them every time. In Ceres, for example, I pushed hard all the way to the finish line but wasn't able to catch Niedermaier. Sometimes you give it your all and still not win. In any case, the best tactic is often to attack to protect yourself from any risks.I can add that I really enjoy winning in Italy and it always gives me a great thrill. But don't call me a cannibal."
