The latest rose of Anna Van der Breggen, queen of the Giro

In Cormons, the heat is scorching. The stone paving the finish line of the final stage of the Giro d'Italia Donne It has the effect of a refractory rider and generously returned the sun's warmth to the feet of those awaiting the finish. As is often the case among men, the pink jersey was in the breakaway for the entire stage. There was a fall, Anna Van der Breggen found herself in front and instead of getting up, given the excellent company, she continued straight onThe stage was won by Coryn Rivera, an American from Team DSM, who had an easy time prevailing over the four breakaway girls. Among the first in the group, behind, Yaya Sanguineti It was the best of ours, seventh, with Sofia Bertizzolo nona.

Nostalgia? Maybe

We are behind the stage when to the girls of the Team SD Worx a pink jersey is given to each and when we appear on the other side the burst of sparkling wine Astoria it overwhelms us with the joy of a victory achieved from the outset and then managed with apparent ease. The joy of the girls on stage is uncontainable, the others toast with more grace for the crumbs.

She is now in front of us, pink, with pale skin all redAnna doesn't have tomboyish movements; even on her bike, she's always very composed, even elegant. And now, without a mask, it doesn't even look like he finished ten stages in this scorching weather.The first question is a tricky one, but she had it prepared: all this is still happening, but Don't you think you'll miss him? He smiles, looks straight ahead.

«Of course yes – he admits – but I hope as a sporting director to achieve more victories like these with my teamToday was a strange day, very hot. There was a crash on the first climb and Ashleigh (Moolman, her teammate, ed.) pulled away. That's why I found myself in the breakaway and at that point I might as well have continued..."

Pink for all

When you have a champion in front of you who quits, The fan in you always seeks nostalgia, expecting it to be equal to yours thinking that you will never see it againIt's happened to many. You don't realize that for them this is the last stage of a journey that has cost them unimaginable efforts.. And certainly she will miss something, but perhaps only the faces, the situations, the moments, which however moving to the flagship there will still be.

«It was a great Giro – he says – I'm very tired, but we've been running for ten daysI always had a good feeling, and like everyone else, I struggled on the toughest climbs. It wasn't just me; the team also did a good job. Everyone deserves this yellow jersey. Usually in cycling, only one person can wear the pink jersey. I think the idea of ​​giving it to all my teammates is incredibly kind.It was nice to experience an award ceremony like this."

For Silvia

Anna Van der Breggen's last thought is for Silvia Piccini. It seemed strange to Mortegliano to see her on stage next to Yanira, mother of the girl killed while training..

"Road safety," he says, "is a serious issue. We have to train every day on the road and watch the traffic. Something can happen every day. I didn't know Silvia's story, but Elena (Cecchini, ed.) is from around here and told me her story. It's very sad.».

Then the caravan begins to disperse, while Anna admits as she says goodbye that she will now recover for a few days and then leave for Tokyo, to defend the title won in Rio in 2016. In the square where the sun is loosening its grip and where some ice-cold beers ease the heat, athletes and workers meet. A few more words with Tatiana Guderzo, then it's time to write and leaveIt looks like Italy will play a European final tonight.