Giovanni Lonardi went from fourth to third place in Francavilla in less than half an hour. By the time the jury had reviewed the sprint video, Merlier was relegated., with the consequent step forward of the Veronese of Polti-Kometa teamIt cannot be said that Lonardi is over the moon, but certainly A stage podium at the Giro is a good starting point to start the second week on the right foot.
«It was certainly a goal of mine and the team – he replies – since before leaving for the Giro. Clearly the dream is always to win a stage, but getting on the podium has a certain effectI'm happy, I didn't expect it, it's a thrill."
The right hole
Sprinters are renowned for their ability to reconstruct and recount a sprint in every minute detail, but Yesterday's in Francavilla was so confusing that the details overlap. He's right. Adriano Baffi when he says that the work of the trains in some cases stops at 400 meters and then it's a chess game between the sprinters left in front.
«It was a confusing sprint – explains Lonardi – because we had the wind from behind for almost the entire final, except at the finish where it was against usSo we turned around to go back, and since we'd been following along all day, we all had fresh legs. But in the confusion, I managed to find the right hole. Many times you don't find it, but this time I was quite lucky, for once better than the others. I think in the end the numbers balance out."
Two sprints in one
The skill in these cases, as it was for Milan, is find the trajectory and keep a way out if the group shufflesLonardi had immediately chosen Merlier's wheel and then Milan's.
"It's just not easy," the Veronese admits, "because they have two or three men in front. Then one passes, another passes, and maybe the only one who doesn't pass is you. It was confusing, until I found a gap on the right. I told myself to gain as many positions as I could, otherwise I would never do the sprint again.I managed to get to the front, but to do so I used up the energy I would have needed for a sprint. However, I was still feeling pretty good and I threw myself back into sprinting and managed to hold out».
Victory in Türkiye
The operation, conducted with great clarity, worked. And usually, when you earn points along the way, the most important aspect is on a psychological level: if I could do it, I can do it again.
«Last year wasn't a good year – confirms Lonardi – things only went well from the middle onwards. It helps me a lot when I start getting results, also in terms of confidenceI think this is even more true for a sprinter. This year I started off strong, and I've been doing pretty well since the beginning. I won in Türkiye before coming herea (that time due to Van Poppel's demotion, ed.), so morale is good, always high and this changes a lot. I I don't really consider myself a pure sprinter, but here the level is so high that to get to the sprints you have to defend yourself even on the climbs».
The Polti train
In this top-level group, where sprinters are carried back and forth by trusted and strong squires, life for riders from smaller teams is definitely more challengingAnd if already in the normal stages of the race the WorldTour teams demand their space at the front of the group, when setting up the sprint the rule is even stricter.
«We too are leaving with our companions all for me – he explains – but It's not easy to do that job and we don't have the team equipped to do itYesterday at the end Pietrobon first entered into action, more or less up to minus 10. Then he arrived Mirko Maestri, who tried to lead me as usual, only that it's not easy with two. It's not easy even for well-equipped teams like the Lidl Trek and the Soudal-Quick Step, because yesterday it was really chaotic. It was easy to lose your wheel. You stay on your partner's wheel, but if your partner loses his wheel, you're done for. But we give it our all. I always say that Winning a stage at the Giro d'Italia is the most beautiful thing in the world for an Italian rider., but even a podium is important. We'll talk again if I manage to win, at least I'll be able to tell you the difference."
