TURIN – When he turned around a few meters from the San Vito pass, Nicola Conci had the feeling his dream was coming to an end. That white shape left no room for doubt, but it did not erase the beauty of his actionThe Trentino attacked, as did Caruso and the indomitable Pellizzari. And for the first time in a few years he felt that everything was working as it should. leg pushes, the heart supports her: under these conditions, dreaming is no longer forbidden.
That white shape
First stage of the Giro d'Italia, Pogacar's defeat makes everything seem bigger than it really is. La UAE Emirates He broke up the group and was finally there to chew on Tadej's third place.The Slovenian couldn't stay still and was subjected to Narvaez's cunning and coolness, but when he caught and skipped past Conci, the feeling was that he would make a quick meal of everyone.
«It was as expected – says Conci – a tough race in the second part, especially when the breakaway was starting to have a decent lead, considering the length of the stage. I saw two guys moving, one was Honoré and the other Echachmann. They're cyclists, I joined them and a nice move ensued. I felt really good. I saw the moment when there was a small gap behind me. I accelerated a bit and managed to gain an advantage.I had a good belief in it until halfway up the final climb, and I won't deny that I was cherishing the dream a little.
«Then I turned around. I saw a white shape with the colors of Slovenia and I understoodOf course, there's a bit of regret, because I exploded in the last hundred meters of the climb. If I hadn't overrevved like that, maybe I would have managed to stay with the top three. Even if... I doubt I would have had the legs to do a good sprint afterwards.... ".
We had it heard in April, disappointed at not having raced the Ardennes but still motivated to do well at the GiroSeeing him framed during the escape, in the journalists' box upon arrival we were talking about how predestined he seemed as a junior and the thousand setbacks of the last few years. Finally, however, we're starting to see a good Conci at the Giro d'Italia...
Was it about time?
I don't deny that the Giro is a race I've cared about since I was a child. I've said it many times: the first four years as a professional were difficult. The fifth was troubled with the history of Gazprom and last year I don't deny that I took a significant moral blow, having to retire after only six stages.So this year I kept calm, I had some flu-like symptoms. I fell at the Basque Country, so I wasn't able to express myself at my best, but in the last ten days I've started to feel really good.
What does it take to get to the starting line on time?
I knew I had worked well, so I arrive at this Giro confident that I can do well and with the desire to enjoy it to the fullest. I won't hide it, but one of my first goals is to get to Rome and enjoy these three weeks.Finishing a major Giro seems obvious once you're a professional, but it's still a dream. The moment you reach the finish line, you realize you've done something great. So I'm in the right condition, I will try to do well in several stages, but one of my goals remains to see the Colosseum.
Were you going on the run?
Yes. Yesterday I did a couple of so-called opener jobs, high-revving actions, and At certain moments I wondered if the power meter was working, because I was really fine.Today I was also very nervous and I felt it a little in my legs. Then I saw the moment, I felt fine, I figured it was a good time and went. And in the end it turned out to be a good performance.
What's the feeling like when you see Pogacar arrive? It'll probably be a feeling for many in the next three weeks...
Honestly, I wasn't that surprised. I felt like I had a 20-second lead over the small group and a 25-second lead over the group behind. Until just before the climb, we had a bigger gap than the main group, so I figured they'd opened up the throttle. If there was a rider I expected to see first it was him and so it was..
It seemed like you were arguing on the run for a while…
There was the feeling that you were driving away with the brakes not on, but not at full blastEveryone knew that even if we arrived together and won the stage, we would still have to fight each other on the climb, so everyone rightly tried to save themselves. What remains is the good feeling and the pride of having made a smart move..
So it was a deliberate action?
Honestly, I had been accelerating for a few minutes, then I braked. I accelerated and braked, because in the end everyone was rightly looking at Tadej and he now only had Maika to pull. I knew that if there were any attacks, Rafal would ultimately have to fire against the breakaway elements. And consequently I knew there was a chance to go far. And so I tried. Me and others too…
