Removed the Ciccone winner, the second Italian across the finish line Luca Covili, 25 years in the jersey, was from Cogne Bardiani-CSF-FaizanéAware of not having won any cups, but of having finished in sixth place in a very difficult breakaway to take away, The rider from Pavullo del Frignano greeted the crowd at the finish line and then remained still for twenty minutes to enjoy the scene., while colleagues from other teams were descending the valley with whistles around their necks. This is what happens when the bus parking is located at the beginning of the climb. And we dare not think of the words that must have flown when the riders realized that those providential downhill sections of the last climb have turned into steep ramps to get a well-deserved rest.
Maglia white
Among the statistics that will probably be revised at the end of the Giro, for the moment Covili is also the first Italian in the young players ranking: sixthAhead of him are some names that are hard to dislodge. Almeida, fighting for the Giro. Lopez, pink jersey until Turin. Arensmann, the new leader of Team DSM after Bardet's retirement. Buitrago, also in the breakaway yesterday towards Cogne. Sivakov, who has to work for Carapaz, may have to give up the fight among his peers. But perhaps Luca wasn't thinking of this at the finish line yesterday.
«Since the morning – he explains – we had intended to escape, because we knew it was a suitable stopObviously, you need to have legs, and in fact the breakaway broke away after 80 kilometers and several attempts, during which other members of my team also tried to join. Eventually, a large group broke away, and I found myself on board. I tried to limit energy expenditure as much as possible, but on the second climb we set a strong pace right from the start.. So I tried to go up at my own pace. In the end, there were four of us left in my group (with him were Tesfatsion, Mollema and Leemreize, ed.) and With 10 kilometers to go I managed to break away from them and take sixth place.».
Crescendo tour
Covili has never been a great winner, but his regularity has never been lacking. Ball of Locatelli at Palazzago, He finished his career among the under 23s at Mastromarco and in 2019 he turned professional with the Reverberi familyThe fact that it's still there, after two years of Covid that cost more than one rider their place, means the quality is there.
«I'm having a growing Giro – he says – the condition is super goodAnd we'll see in the next stages if we can break away again. That's our philosophy. There are huge crowds in the streets. After the last two years of Covid, the Giro d'Italia has finally seen spectators return.Now let's enjoy our rest day. Let's recharge our batteries and then we'll see what we can do next. The Mortirolo stage could already be good, it's those challenges that excite meWe'll talk about it with the team, but it will definitely be a day for breakaways and we'll try to get in there."
Upon arrival, Covili greeted the Cogne crowd, who were celebrating their 6th place. Yesterday Luca joined the breakaway that started after 80 kilometers on the Pila climb
Upon arrival, Covili greeted the Cogne crowd, who were celebrating their 6th place. Yesterday Luca joined the breakaway that started after 80 kilometers on the Pila climb
Bardiani to be deciphered
In the difficult Giro for those who knew from the start that they were fighting for crumbs, Bardiani is holding on tight in the meantime Gabburo's second place in Naples and observe with curiosity the evolution of this CoviliThe team, which had already had to give up Battaglin before the start in Budapest, has not yet lived up to expectations even in terms of presence in the various breakaways. Suffice it to say that among the top 10 in the breakaway kilometer rankings There are three riders from Drone Hopper-Androni, three from Eolo-Kometa and then several WorldTour men including Alessandro De Marchi. It is clear that winning a stage would certainly be better than getting on that podium, but the absence is still a sign of a racing attitude or an individual performance level that is not yet at its best.
«But in the team – says Covili – there is a peaceful atmosphere, we will try again and we are always focused on the goalNow let's catch our breath a bit. Another Giro begins tomorrow."
