A sharp shot that didn't seem to be enough to Santiago Buitrago. Leemreize he had held it. At the moment the Colombian was sitting down, the Dutchman was doing the same. Only the rider of the Bahrain Victorious he still had one cartridge left in the chamber. The decisive one.
And he ran away towards Lavarone. Fifty meters for Leemreize became 50 kilometers. An abyss. In an instant, a two-bike advantage became a 20-bike lead.
Opportunity seized
And in the end it's like this: it's the duel. It's the essence of cycling. Of course it wasn't for the victory of the Tour of Italy, but there was still a stage to be reached.
Buitrago broke away again today. It's the third time this Giro has done so.
"It's right to leave space for a boy who was doing well," he said at the end of the race. Gorazd Stangelj, one of the sports directors of Bahrain Victorious – the idea was to put a man on the run to have one in front, in case help was needed Mikel Landa. But we saw that in the end he was fine and that Poels He did an incredible job, far beyond expectations."
"At that point, we gave him the all-clear. We waited until Vetriolo had descended and the climb began, making sure there were no further needs. Santiago told us he was fine, and we let him go."
First hour under the rain, then already after Tonale the sun came out On the Menador VdP front. He probably would have lost against Buitrago anyway, but if he'd spent less...
First hour under the rain, then already after Tonale the sun came out On the Menador VdP front. He probably would have lost against Buitrago anyway, but if he'd spent less...
Fondriest disoriented
IThe Menador di Buitrago was tackled by a pure climber. But also with a cool head that isn't usually a Colombian trait. He let his opponents vent and then continued to push. He had a longer relationship and when the gradient increased in the last three and a half kilometers, it was almost the others who came close to him.
Until the moment of the shot.
«From the flagship – Stangelj explains further – we just told him to take a breather, but also that he absolutely had to pull away before the GPM, otherwise he wouldn't have made it. And so he did."
Meanwhile, the Colombian community is making its presence felt after the arrival. It's also present on the verdant hills. of the Alpe Cimbra. They cross their fingers. And those who cross their fingers and have a blank stare are Maurizio Fondriest.
Trentino, together with Paul Alberati, he is the prosecutor of Buitrago.
"Well, what did I tell him? I told him to stay calm and to manage his energy," Fondriest says. "I saw that he was doing well as the days went by, but he's also very instinctive. I explained to him that this third week was really tough. That he had to be patient.
"Just like today. I told him a little about this climb and that everything would be decided in the last 3,5 kilometers.
"He's 22 years old. We brought him to Italy when he was a kid, and more importantly, we brought him as a stranger. Now here he is."
The key moment sequence. Buitrago puts Leemreize in his sights… When he gets hooked up, he adjusts his shirt and breathes for a few hundred meters… Then he snaps it, but doesn't let go. He persists, sees a small hole, and lands the shot.
The key moment sequence. Buitrago puts Leemreize in his sights… When he gets hooked up, he adjusts his shirt and breathes for a few hundred meters… Then he snaps it, but doesn't let go. He persists, sees a small hole, and lands the shot.
Capeza fria
And then there's Buitrago. He must have thought he was at home in these mountains, BogotaMasterful in managing the effort and maintaining composure after the fall on the descent from Giovo. A fall due to his own mistake, by the way.
«I tried to stay calm – Buitrago said immediately after the finish – On the last climb, patience and a “capeza fria” (cool head) were needed. I knew that Van der Poel I had a minute and a half. I was fine, recovering and I asked Franco (Pellizotti, ed.) if I could try… Then when I broke away from Leemreize I understood that I could get there alone.".
From the bitter and disappointed tears of Cogne… To those of joy of Lavarone
From the bitter and disappointed tears of Cogne… To those of joy of Lavarone
From Cogne to Lavarone
Last Sunday Buitrago was crying while climbing towards Cogne. Perhaps because he hadn't caught the moment of the shot. ciccone, perhaps because he hadn't had enough legs, but his morale was really low. He was disheartened.
Today those tears reappeared in the last kilometer, but this time they weren't bitter, quite the opposite. They were sweet. For a climber to outpace everyone on the way up and arriving alone is like a striker dribbling past everyone and scoring. It's perfection, è the mission.
And in fact on arrival, despite the speaker and the large crowd, his scream was heard. A scream that tasted of revenge.
«I'm super excited – he says with a trembling voice – It's my first victory at the Giro and it's something huge. I've tried to break away several times in this Giro and finally it went well. I thank the team that gave me the space, even though we are here for the general classification."
"I'm happy for myself, for the Colombian fans, and for my family. My dad rode a bike and he was my first coach. And I also thank Our Team Cinelli which gave me the opportunity to race in Italy in 2019. But this victory, today, is for my team."
