Today Alberto Dainese finally got to watch the stage from his couch in San Marino. Until Sunday, he had been racing in Dunkirk, but this time he managed to follow the sprint that delivered to Olav Kooij the finish line of ViadanaA confusing sprint, with the Lidl-Trek train attacking from too far away, with Pedersen ultimately having to settle for fourth place.
"It's a relief," said the winner of the Visma-Lease a Bike - I had to wait a bit, but today everything fell into placeWe grew up, with Wout's stage victory and Simon (Van Aert and Yates, ed.) who is also doing well in the general classification. The previous two sprints hadn't gone perfectly, but now everything went well."
He found himself sprinting Affini until the last kilometer and Van Aert until the 200 meters, with the final curve perfectly executed. With two engines like this paving the way, the job ends up being easier.
Dainese, it was said, He raced in Dunkirk last week and will be back with the group in two weeks in Belgium, in the Elfstedenronde which will be held on June 15 in Bruges. Things are moving forward in the right way, even if now A bit of nostalgia for the Giro is coming out, as tomorrow the group will pass through Galzignano and Vicenza.
What did you think of the sprint?
It was a sprint more to take that curve in the first 5 and then in my opinion the strongest in legs today was From UdenMaybe he lacked a bit of malice when he left because he could have stayed closer to Van Aert, instead he left plenty of room for Kooij to take the wheel right away. He moved a little early…
If it had gone straight and not widened, where would Kooij have passed?
In reality, it was also a question of slipstream. If he stayed a little longer alongside, he had more slipstream and Kooij would have to wait for him to pass him., then he should have gotten in the wheel before trying to get out. While this way he actually left him a meter thanks to which he immediately got in the wheel and in fact he was the one who gave him the sprint. But (laughs, ed.), don't you find it easy to talk from the sofa?
How important was the work of Affini and Van Aert, according to Alberto Dainese?
On TV I felt like she was missing a man, but in reality everything was perfect. From that position, Kooij could decide when to start and Van Aert left him 200 meters away.If they had had an extra man, they risked someone coming in forcefully on the final corner and throwing them out. While they have arrived so right.
Perhaps an extra man would have allowed Van Aert to get back up sooner? In fact, Kooij's last man was Van Uden...
That's why I was saying that If Van Uden had stayed on his wheel longer, perhaps he would have wonKooij would have been forced to start 10-20 meters longer and the other could have caught up with him. They were a bit long, indeed. If only we had a Van Aert like that, who can give you the sprintWe're talking about the last 10 meters, but it's clear that many struggled just to get there.
Did Pedersen seem less brilliant?
In my opinion it was a sprint more for a pure sprinter, therefore for someone capable of coming out strong from the curve at 300 meters and then startingPedersen is very strong, you can see how fast he goes uphill, but in my opinion if Kooij gets a grip on him, he can overtake him.
How important was it to come out ahead on that corner?
Third, you should have come out third. Second or third depends on how many legs the first hadVan Aert had made a run, so maybe he was 10 meters away. However if you come out second or third, at least you have a chance to sprint. Instead, if you lack that position, you can't sprint. Fry he was coming very fast, but on the corners he was tenth and did no better than sixth place.
What does it feel like to see sprints on television?
I've discovered that I like it. I'm having a hard time expressing my opinion on the other stages, because I wouldn't know where to start, but I like to analyze the sprints.
It's a shame for the Tour's sprinters, as the final stage no longer ends in a sprint...
First I met a Frenchman here in San Marino, a bike enthusiast. And he told me that they put Montmartre in the last stage and he made sure to tell me that he was working in Paris, he described the climb to me and told me that it won't be a sprint finish. They ruined the most iconic arrival. At least for the sprinters, they took the icing off the cake.
