If the former lover Jay Vine he takes home, with a mega performance, the Pico Jano stage, Remco Evenepoel for the first time he wears the leader's jersey in a major Giro. But above all, it dispels doubts about his role in Return.
In the fog between Cantabria and the Basque Country, in an almost Belgian climate, a Belgian just happens to appear! Five climbs, three GPMs, the high-altitude finish, the rain... the first big, decisive shake-ups to the overall standings. On the other hand, Stefano Garzelli he had been clear: "Watch out for the triple stage on the return to Spain."
Aru is not surprised
Garzelli himself and like him Fabio Arau they have no doubts: the champion of the Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl, with a show of strength, leaps to the top of the general classification. And if there had been a few hundred more meters, who knows how things would have turned out.
«Remco – says Fabio Aru – we certainly aren't discovering it now. He's been really strong. He's built up some nice gaps and will try to hold on. He's young and he's gaining experience. It is true that last year too Tour of Italy He started very well in the first stages and then got lost. But he was returning from injury and hadn't raced in a long time. This time, however, his situation is different: he has more races under his belt and, indeed, a bit more experience.
«For the first time he finds himself leading a major Giro, but it's not the first time he's faced a similar situation. He's already managed the team in week-long races, and I think he'll be able to move well in this regard too. And then, considering how he won San Sebastian... an old-fashioned move means he's got what it takes."
Quick Step strong?
And Stefano Garzelli starts from this assumption, albeit with a different nuance.
«For me – says the Varese native who moved to Spain – Remco and Quick Step won't be fighting to keep the jersey now, but he will certainly try to get into the general classification. Then maybe he'll skip it, because he's still young, but he'll try.
"His team isn't very strong. And Lefevere knows it. In the coming years, he will undoubtedly have to strengthen his skills, even for the Grand Tours. An Evenepoel like this deserves strong men at his side.».
Garzelli believed Evenepoel and his team's move was planned. They worked with the awareness of not leaving too much room for a breakaway.
«Today when on Spanish TV they interviewed Craved and they asked him why he had placed a man there in front, Davide replied that it was only because they wanted to stay in the front positions to avoid risks. Then Purito Rodriguez, who was doing the technical commentary, started laughing. He didn't believe it at all. It was a planned action."
However, on this last point, Evenepoel confirmed what his sports director had said at the end of the stage.
(Now) unusual weather
«The weather had a big impact – continues Garzelli –I was moving towards Cantabria and those roads with the rain and the “cold” (18 degrees, ed.) change a lot, because they are slippery and very narrow. And in fact, the riders didn't lean their bikes on the corners. Plus, after such a scorching summer, they weren't used to those temperatures anymore... it certainly had an impact.
«Then at the foot of the climb, thanks to the work of Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl, the breakaway was caught. Vine was very good because even if it is true that he was a little bit ahead of the pack, he still left the group of leaders. And at the end of the climb he didn't lose many seconds compared to Evenepoel."
Remco's show
And it's there, Just under seven kilometers from the finish line, Remco's show began. The Belgian, without even getting up from his pedals, carved out a significant gap. on (almost) all the best.
«Incredible – explains Garzelli – he did as he did in San Sebastian. Without even a single burst of speed, without even standing up on the pedals. He just lay down and kept checking his computer. You could just see it in his face that he was in control.
«a Mas (typical old farm) aside, very good at resisting him, he put significant gaps in place. Almost a minute and a half to Roglic it's not cheap. And I think he'll be able to put another 50" on him in the time trial, at least. And three minutes on the others. He'll emerge from that stage with a four-minute lead, and that will be a nice advantage. It will change the race. Assuming he doesn't get there sooner, given the tricky stages this weekend.
For Garzelli today the level of this Vuelta also emerged: many names, but little energy.
"It's the end of the season, and we're feeling tired. I've seen a lot of people struggling. carapaz it came off almost immediately. And After Roglic, 20 riders arrived, almost all at once and exhausted. There's not much energy. And instead Ayuso: but how good was he?
Evenepoel speaks
But perhaps it's Remco himself who can dispel any doubts about this blessed crossroads between stages and the general classification. Just for the fact that as soon as he arrived he got on the rollers to loosen up. This is usually done by those aiming for the rankings or who, in any case, need to be ready every day.
«I am very happy and proud to be a leader “It’s a dream come true,” the Belgian said at the end of the stage. “It’s one of my greatest successes. The climb was a solid performance.” That's what we're here for."
"That's why we're here": words that might be misunderstood in the heat of the moment. But then he continued.
“I wanted to try something,” added Evenepoel, “because I had legs. I hope I've cleared up any doubts some might have had about me. But La Vuelta is far from over. We'll try to make tomorrow a more relaxed stage, because a very intense weekend awaits us... I hope I can maintain these good feelings."
