PRATI DI TIVO – The press room was located 24 kilometers from the finish, so we found ourselves in a noisy bar surrounded by dozens of fans. On the stage behind us, Pogacar receives the third round of applause to which we toast with another sip of beer, while we prepare to write about TiberiThat sprint adds to yesterday's excellent time trial and becomes a test of courage that speaks to the future. The crowd around is buzzing, the Gran Sasso looms large, like the pink jersey.
Not even a month ago we were up here applauding and telling Alexey Lutsenko's victory at the Giro d'AbruzzoToday the Kazakh finished 2'21" behind Pogacar. The condition may never be the same, but the group itself doesn't resemble the fragile one it was back then.
The master's race
The race of UAE Team Emirates It was peremptory. Even though twelve teams were represented in the day's breakaway and no one was really dangerous, the Bianconeri led by Hauptman and Baldato kept them in their sights. At a certain point, when the lead began to wane, even Those in front must have thought that all that effort would be for nothingBut that's the law of the jungle: we're all part of a food chain, and right now Pogacar is king. So the scene has almost entirely played out. in the last three kilometers of the climb, when Tiberi began to look around.
«I didn't expect to win today at all – Pogacar will say – but as soon as we got over the first climb of the day, my teammates wanted me to go and win the stageAntonio Tiberi tried a couple of times, but I had more or less everything under control…».
Other young men in the past have challenged the emperor of the moment: some have grown up, others have disappeared. But what we needed and still need is an Italian who throws away the reverential fears and shows his cards.In this sense, the Giro with Pogacar as the star could become the ideal showcase to test oneself. We have already written it and we repeat it. Sooner or later all champions find a stronger opponent, but if nobody tries…
The first attack
Let's get this straight: in the overall tally of the day and the standings, Tiberi's run will leave no trace. In the telling of his story, however, it could be the first step that we will one day tell about, boasting quietly of having been there.Be that as it may, while the pink jersey was eyeing his rivals as if to say "I win whenever I want," Tiberi got his hands on him and attacked.
«Today my legs were good – he said after the finish – in the final I was waiting for Pogacar to attack, since they had already been setting the pace for a while. But when I saw that no one was moving, I tried to do some stretching too.In the end we arrived in a sprint and he won, but we couldn't continue without trying."
Time trial and climb
The problem is that The van carrying the masseurs from Bahrain Victorious did not reach the finish line.. Like them, others too. Tiberi kept calling them on the radio, but it wasn't clear where they were. The arriving vehicles crossed paths with the departing advertising caravan. The result was a colossal traffic jam at the top of the mountain, which not even the team buses could reach., stopped like the journalists 24 kilometers from the finish. There would have been enough room at the top of Prati di Tivo, but the Giro d'Italia is so cumbersome that in the end, rather than considering the riders, it was decided to keep the Giro-E vehicles aboard.
«In proportion I felt better today than yesterday in the time trial – says Tiberi – and I wonder why Pogacar didn't attack. It's also true that he now has a good gap, so he doesn't need to push too hard. Maybe he was tired from the time trial? Anything is possible, of course. it was quite challengingWe had to manage our efforts, because after so much flat terrain, the last 6 kilometers to Perugia were very demanding. It was a path that I had tried and tried again, as is this one today.The sensations are growing, fortunately the ability to improve over time has remained with me...".
Bartoli's calculations
Yesterday at the start of the time trial, Michele Bartoli looked at it and confirmed that Antonio he arrived at the Giro as they hoped and now he confirms itAccording to the former Tuscan professional who has been Tiberi's trainer since this year, the mountain stage is as important as the time trial.
«While I have no doubts about his character – he says – he's here because he wants to make his markThat said, he's only 22, so let's not be fooled by these precocious talents. We are doing a first ranking experiment and at the end we will evaluate how it wentI've only been working with him this year, but those of us who are close to him know he's doing what we expected. Antonio isn't one of those slightly overly polite kids who is afraid to declare his ambitions: he wants to get to the top. And he has someone like Damiano Caruso alongside him to take inspiration from."
All Bahrain Victorious they soon realized that This kid from Trek is worth his weight in gold and they signed him for another three years, until 2027. In a certain sense, his journey among the greats is just beginning now, on the threshold of his 23rd birthday.
The last week
We stare at him and say something big: partly out of the excitement of the moment and partly to see how he reacts. Today's news is not Pogacar's victory, we tell him, but the fact that you had the courage to attack him..
"You say so? I repeat: in the end I saw that I was fine," he smiles, "and no one was moving. So I said to myself: “Damn, isn’t it possible that everyone is happy with him winning another stage so easily?"So I tried to do some attacks first. As the days went by and things progressed, I always feel better, more reactive and that my body is able to recover better from fatigueWithout that little problem in Oropa, maybe I could have been a little better. But my goal is to finish in the top five. I expected to do well after the time trial, but not like this. So let's hope it continues, and if that's the case, the final week will be fun."
