Julian Alaphilippe is there. It’s early to say that he’s back to his usual levels, but at least he’s a rider who can still say a lot. After two years of total shadows, of injuries and also of attacks, strong, even personal, in the Bartali Stage with arrival in Rapolano Terme the two-time World Champion, winner of a Sanremo in 2019, three Freccia Wallone and several stages at the Tour and at the Vuelta, he showed once again in a mini Strade Bianche that he could still be a formidable cyclist, especially thanks to a stage built on his characteristics (he won the Strade Bianche 5 years ago).
One of the images that give signs of reconciliation concerns the passage of the water bottle between Ala and Patrick Lefevere, team manager of Soudal-QuickStep who had not failed to attack him for the unruly life of the Frenchman who receives a more than significant salary.
During the dusty route there was a nice brawl in the middle of an immense crowd between him, Luke Plapp and Pelayo Sanchez, with the latter winning the stage in the uphill finale after Alaphilippe’s final attack. That perhaps he started too early but that perhaps the atmosphere of the Giro (for him it’s the first time) has given him back a career that now seemed to just need dusting off.
Ineos is doing well, putting the pressure on Pogacar’s Uae, the Italians are decent (Piccolo quarto, Fiorelli, Vendrame and Trentin have lost the runners-up) and in view of the time trial despite holding up well, Fortunato will exit, I think, from the top ten. Caruso fell and hoping he didn’t hurt himself too much, the goal could be at most a stage victory, captaincy which thus passes to Tiberi.
Time will tell and if Thomas doesn’t live through the “prank” he suffered last year he will still be there to annoy the rosy Taddeo.
THE TECHNICAL COMMENT by Marco Rebagliati:
7th Stage, the first of the two time trials of this Giro. From Foligno to Perugia for a total of 40.6 km. It will be a flat time trial up to 6.5 km from the finish, then the road will climb for 1.3 km with an average gradient of 10.7% and peaks at 16%. After that the road will tend to climb until the arrival of Perugia. Tonight the ranking will change, because on days like this you can’t do many tactics. You just have to push on the pedals as much as possible.
Photo credits: LaPresse
