RIMINI – There are a lot of people waiting for the riders, as there were many in Florence at this Tuscan start of the Tour de France that remains as a wonder on Bettiol’s face. Yet when Alberto arrived at the bus, he had a scowling look and nerves on edge.. He left his bike down, didn’t respond to any greetings and then disappeared down the three steps, looking for a sheltered place to cool off his anger. Soon after Ben Healy got out and started spinning his legs on the rollers, the only one on the team. His attack, while his teammates were shooting behind him, raised more than one question.
At the foot of the pink EF Education-Easy Post bus, there is a small group of Carapaz fans cheering on their champion. They point out how bad it was to make him out of the Olympic selection. He who is the outgoing winner, but who perhaps after Tokyo spoke too harshly against his Olympic committee. Right next to him is Lisa, Bettiol’s blonde companion, who understood that bad mood very well and smiles to suggest that it will pass. And in fact after about ten minutes, Bettiol gets off the bus. He is wearing a black suit and the smile of someone who has begun to make peace with the world.
«I’m happy with how I felt – he says – especially for the warmth I received and this is the most important thing. Then in a race it’s like that, sometimes it doesn’t take much. The two guys (Bardet who won and Van den Broeck who helped him do it, ed.) were good when it came to attacking. Maybe we made a mistake in making Ben Healy move and instead we should have done a little more forcing. But that’s okay, that’s what cycling is. Anyway, come on, if your leg is like this, there are three weeks to have fun.”
The yellow one a few meters away
The group sprint was won Wout Van Aert ahead of Pogacar, Alberto finished tenth. It is difficult to say whether, if the stage were still in play, it would have been played differently. But in the meantime, while the first rumours of Italy’s match against Switzerland are coming from the bars along the seafront, the discussion continues.
«We wanted to do the hardest race – continues Bettiol, speaking about his teammate’s attack – and we thought we were moving to force others to collaborate. The Visma was compact, made a strong pace, but not overly strong. Ciccone’s Lidl was also successful. And in the end we missed them by a few meters.. Maybe, given how I felt, given how the team worked, we deserved more.
«Anyway a day that I will surely remember for as long as I live. It was almost unrepeatable, I tried to enjoy every inch of the road. I will take this beautiful jersey around France. But first there is tomorrow when we arrive in Bologna, then in Turin, then we leave again from Pinerolo. The team played a good game, we feel good. It’s a shame because in the end, by a few meters, we didn’t play for a yellow jersey…».
A promise to the fans
Maybe because we were there when he won that tricolor and he talked about leaving Florence as if it were a fairy tale, we are overcome by the desire to be told about the departure. From the moment we got off the bus, it was a crowd bath, in a crowd that we have rarely seen so numerous, albeit a little undisciplined.
«Passing with the Tour de France over Ponte Vecchio – he smiles – was a dream. I had fun, it was something unique. It was beautiful, I had fun and I was excited: it was nice to be part of this show, it’s a shame about the ending. If when I came here was it anger or regret? A little anger, but a healthy anger. We are here to do good.
«I was sure that the stage would come like this. Tough, guys, but not excessively, because we’re in the Tour. This stage at Coppi e Bartali, with all due respect, one rider arrives per corner. Almost 50 arrive in the sprint at the Tour. It’s normal, the level is very high. And then I raise the stakes and promise to try every day.. As I did today, as we tried as a team. I promise this to myself, first of all. And I think the Italians will have fun with me and I hope to dedicate a victory to them. Not tomorrow though, tomorrow will be very tough. Tomorrow Pogacar wins».
