NOVARA – Oropa behind, Pogacar's victory It confirms that the Giro has found the master we all expected, and now it's up to the attackers and time trialists to try and undermine it. While we wait for the stages that best suit this purpose, today at the finish line in Fossano the first confrontation/clash between the sprinters will take placeAnd this year, apart from Philipsen, everyone is in the running.
Jonathan Milan and Simone Consonni arrived at the Sanctuary of Biella respectively 24'34” and 25'09” behind Pogacar, like all the other sprinters. In some cases, they save their leg by thinking about the challenge that awaits them.. The only problem for the two of the Lidl Trek It's not having had many opportunities to sprint together. So the first one will be a great test, while waiting for the next ones. Consonni is calm, he did what he had to do and now all that remains is to reveal his opponents' cards. From Novara to Fossano there are 166 kilometers, with a couple of short climbs and a final section that tends to climb.
How many times have you ridden a train with Jonathan?
Let's say five, more or less. But I also drove it a lot on the track. In reality, when you are in the velodrome you cannot try the mechanisms of the sprint, because there are too many variables.The road, the roundabouts, the opponents' moves. The real mechanisms are found with feeling and time. But certainly the fact that in the last quartets he has always been on my wheel can give him more confidenceVisually, he might feel, pardon the expression, at home, in a more "familiar" place. If we then talk about the level of management of the arrivals, it's all a question of feeling. A tactic is developed before each sprint, but then... I think only 5 percent of the time it goes as planned..
It's impossible to forget your scream at the end of the Tirreno, when Johnny was about to leave too early. Do we ever talk about the sprints we've done?
Lo I remember too. Of course, we look at the mistakes we made as well as the things we did well. Communication during the race is so important, just a few things. Saying "OK" if the sprinter is there, for example. Each train finds its mechanism, its keywords, but it's a lot about trusting each other.
The sprinter will sprint over other sprinters, what references does the last man choose?
Personally, I trust myself more without looking too much at others. I try to get some visual references, memorizing the 500-meter bend and the 3-kilometer straight, as it will be today.
Already yesterday on the day of Oropa, knowing that we had to get through it unscathed, were we thinking about Fossano?
Yes, we've definitely been thinking about it for a while. We also went on a reconnaissanceIt's not easy, because it's the first sprint of a major Giro, because there are so many lead-outs and so many sprinters and the finale will be challenging.
How much tension is there on the eve of the first sprint?
We try to live the Giro day by day, adrenaline is something that will come as a consequenceThe fact remains that the only ending we've seen is the one in Fossano. After all, with all this technology, you can now sit in front of a computer and feel like you're there. You can get an idea and in the end you discover that things went as you had thought. At the time, I never remember anything about what happened 3 or 4 kilometers from the finish. Then, watching the sprint again, it all comes back to me.
Why is the Fossano sprint complicated?
Because winning is always complicated. From minus 4,5 to minus 3, the road is tight. First there's a short descent that will surely put the group in line.And since we are at the Giro, everyone will want to be in front, the general classification riders and the sprinters, so the descent will be as hard as the climb.
Was it essential to save yourself in Oropa?
Before the final climb, we worked to lend a hand to “Juanpe” Lopez, then we tried to limit the damageJust wait a few hours to see if it will have been enough.
