THE LIDL-TREK TRAIN
They did a nice job, the arrival was not easy. They managed the sprint at their best. When you have a man like that, morale goes high, you give more than you have in your body. They were flawless.
MILAN SEEMS TO GROW SPEED AFTER SPEED
Now he is very motivated even in his head. 2 km from the finish there was a bridge where you had to sprint to find the best position, there they got a little lost, at that point Milan got some air, but then came back following Consonni and then on the radio he announced that there was: a sign of great clarity.
MILAN IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF CIPOLLINI AND PETACCHI?
I think so, he also achieved two second places, in addition to the three victories. He lost one because he left too long, in Naples they didn’t understand each other very well on the train. The leg and the power are there, he is strong, all that was missing was the testing of the train and his clarity of managing the sprint position.
INEOS PROTAGONIST IN THE FAN
It was very windy, so in those cases you’re better off pulling in front than behind. It’s the only explanation I give myself, because since there were no ranking men, there were no reasons to do that job.
TOMORROW THE DESENZANO TIME TRIAL: WAITING FOR GANNA
Ganna is the favorite without a shadow of a doubt. I think she can win tomorrow, she’s completely flat. If we look at the first time trial, he had gained a lot on Pogacar in the first two intermediates on the flat. The problem is that he will leave much earlier than the Slovenian, so the only opponent could be the wind, because it could change within a couple of hours.
WHAT GAPs TO EXPECT
It will be a shorter time trial than Perugia, so the gaps will be smaller. Pogacar will give it his all and try to earn as much as possible. He can easily give Martinez a minute, while Thomas could lose at least 30 seconds, as could O’Connor. We need to see what’s left in the legs at the fourteenth stage, those with the best recovery will come out.
NEW EXAM FOR TIBERI
Tiberi is a big question mark, for him it is quite new to take part in a time trial at the end of the second week of a Grand Tour. Let’s say that Pogacar is superior, he will give a minimum of 30-40″ to the men in the rankings. I see all the others quite close. Tiberi will perhaps lose something from Thomas, but just a few seconds. For second position he won’t change the rankings much.
THE REAL DETACHMENTS COULD MATERIALIZE ON SUNDAY
Sunday will be a real stage, we’ll start to go really high, with lots of climbs. I think they will try to do something there, even if not for the pink jersey, because they give me the feeling that they are racing for second place.
THE TIME TRIAL PROSPECTS OF FORTUNATO AND ZANA
It will be very tough for Fortunato, he will pay enough because he is a pure climber, he will have to think about saving himself and keeping the top 10 in Rome, that is his big goal: in the third week he will find his ground. Zana is an excellent rider, he’s showing great things, he’s in the top 10: it’s true that he took advantage of an escape, but he’s maturing and I honestly didn’t expect him to be so far ahead in the standings at this point, so I think he’ll do a decent time trial.
A POSSIBLE OPPONENT FOR GANNA
Sheffield is a great runner, a specialist. He will certainly be on the podium, but I don’t see him being able to worry Ganna.
Alessandro Ballan is Banca Mediolanum’s testimonial at the Giro d’Italia 2024
PREVIOUS EPISODES
The presentation of the Giro d’Italia
First stop: “This is how Pogacar makes enemies. Oropa will be a test for Tiberi”
Second stage: “Pogacar has only one Achilles heel. Tiberi and Pellizzari are not ready yet”
Third stage: “Pogacar is spending too much and could pay. Milan must trust their teammates”
Fourth stage: “Milan can win 3-4 stages, but watch out for Pogacar for the cyclamen. And Ganna…”
Fifth stage: “Pogacar could leave the pink jersey”
Sixth stage: “Pogacar can give more than 30″ to Thomas”
Seventh stage: “Pogacar leaves only one glimmer of hope. Tiberi: better a placing or a stage?
Eighth stage: “Tiberi will understand his limits in the Dolomites. Pogacar is making a lot of enemies”
Ninth stage: “Milan needs a running director. Pogacar is creating discontent”
Tenth stage: “Tiberi does well to attack. The team is making him responsible”
Eleventh stage: “Tiberi proved he is strong. Milan is pure power”
Twelfth stage: “I hope Bahrain doesn’t work too hard and finds itself with fewer men in the third week”
