TOUR OF ITALY | 05/24/2024 | 6.12pm
by Claudio Ghisalberti
«We must thank Thomas who gives us the opportunity to say something today». Mario Cipollini attacks with a smile. After all, the fall in the final kilometers of the Welshman from Ineos, 3rd in the general, is unbelievable if not ridiculous.
«No no, comedians today – continues King Leone -. But he either has technical limitations with the road bike or gets too distracted. Do you remember when, again at the Giro, he crashed into a motorbike? In my opinion he isn’t very capable, you can see that he doesn’t have fluidity. Then what do you turn around? Has he seen a pub where he can go for a beer this evening?
Piccolo also fell.
«Is he a runner? In your opinion, is a professional runner who runs without gloves? Did you see how he looked at his hands after the fall? After all, if you crawl on the asphalt at speed you’ll hurt yourself badly. Well, they talk about him as if he were a runner… they’re happy.”
Vendrame must be congratulated.
“Absolutely yes. He was very good, he had head and legs. The others who were fleeing, however, had neither heads nor legs. When you see that someone goes away and takes twenty seconds you have to band together and start spinning. Once recovered, another race begins.”
Group at sixteen minutes: does it make sense?
«Normally not. It can happen with a bad escape, but in the early stages. So it means that there is too much relaxation.”
Tomorrow the awaited double Grappa. Pogacar declared it.
«Tomorrow, even if he doesn’t want to, he’ll find himself alone on the second climb. Who keeps it? Look, the Grappa on that side is long and hard. It’s boring to do it downhill.”
Mario, an idea has been brewing in my head for a few days. In my opinion there are ghost teams in the group. They are made up of riders with different jerseys but who are part of the same team or have the same agent. Teams which, moreover, are unknown, are in the shadows, because – as far as I know – there is no official list. I mean you don’t always know who manages a racer.
«I think these things have always happened. But I can’t tell you what the dynamics are now in the group. Of course, it is possible that out of friendship or even economic interest some favors may be done. There are friends and friends of friends… and maybe someone who manages the situation.”
Copyright © TBW
