Diego Ulissi continues to hold the "Italian Cycling Week... on the roads of Sardinia"—the name of the newly formed stage race that concludes today in Cagliari—with victories. But perhaps it would have been even simpler to say "On the roads of Fabio Aru." Il Knight of the Four Moors is the stone guest of this first edition, which between Tokyo Games to prepare and need a UCI calendar that is always very crowded, it rolled in the middle of July. Precisely his month, the one in which Fabio celebrates his birthday (and with him his mother Antonella and his brother Matteo). The one in which he obtained the most prestigious success, on the climb of the Planche des Belles Filles, in the now distant 2017 Tour.
Fabio's streets
The last stage (Cagliari-Cagliari, like the penultimate one, but with a completely different development) pushes towards Sulcis, up to Carbonia. Here it will take the group to a double ascent on the Terraseo climb, a classic training ground for Fabio, when he lived in Villacidro. The third one had already explored the places dear to the thirty-one year old Qhubeka-NextHash, with the symbolic gpm (a generous definition at the very least for a stretch of less than 2 kilometers at 5 percent) right at home, in the Country of Shadows described by Giuseppe Dessì. The homage that the "real" Giro di Sardegna would have reserved for him in the edition scheduled for October was quite different., designed for him but which will remain in the drawer! Because the hope of anyone who organizes a race on the Island is to have at the start the greatest Sardinian rider of all time, the pride of a people who shuddered to see him climb onto the podium in Madrid wrapped in the flag with the Four Moors, preferred to the Italian tricolour.
The Sardinian Taboo
Ma the Sardinia taboo for Aru continuesThe Giro di Sardegna was interrupted in 2011, the year before he wore the Astana jersey. Since then, the pros have only returned in 2017, for the Giro d'Italia. A fall during the training camp in Spain badly damaged his knee and at the Grand Departure from Alghero Fabio showed up in civilian clothes, just to say hello to his fans. A bitter disappointment. This time he had the Tour on his agenda, but the Italian flag of Imola triggered plan BToo late, however. Qhubeka had already cancelled the invitations and Aru was unable to follow up on the good performances of Lugano and Sibiu Tour, where only Giovanni Aleotti denied him (twice) the tenth victory of his career. But it was the first sign after a long time.
Aleotti's tribute
«Fabio is a great rider, there is no need for me to say it: his CV and his career speak for him», confirms the Emilian of Bora Hansgrohe who confirmed his great form in Sardinia (he is 3rd in the rankings). «In Romania he was really very strong, so I think it's still at a very high level».
He might not have had the speed to win the sprints, but the Villacidro native would certainly have been among the protagonists. He will have the race recounted by Diego Ulissi, his neighbor in Lugano and former teammate for three years at UAE Emirates. After the second victory in the restricted sprint in Cagliari, Diego is ever closer to success in the newly formed Italian Cycling Week on the roads of Fabio Aru, sorry… of Sardinia.
