TOUR OF ITALY | 05/26/2024 | 9.02pm
by Claudio Ghisalberti
Twenty-first and final stroke. This time it is evening both due to the timing of the stage and because Super Mario is tired: «I did Abetone and Radici today“, explains.
Then we arrived in Rome.
«Let’s focus on the sprint which wasn’t on equal terms because Milan was at full speed for almost 9km. We missed a face-to-face fight.”
We must be intellectually honest and not Italian fans. I didn’t like the return of the cyclamen jersey, which for too long followed the flagships.
“Excellent. But I think that if he had won they would have disqualified him. Too much time in the wake. He was unlucky to break the chain but I believe that a return like this cannot be done.”
Explain the sprint to me.
«On the cobbles Milan is at a disadvantage because it is not very linear. On cobblestones you must try to always keep the wheel in traction. You have to push the bike to the ground.”
In fact Merlier does the sprint sitting down…
“Exact. Milan creates a handicap with his way of sprinting.”
Johnatan raced with the single chainring today. Was it a good choice?
«I think it’s a marketing choice. I don’t think a professional needs a single chainring. And, coincidentally, the breaking of the chain is proof that this trend, this choice, is not the best. On time trials it’s a different story, but on road races the single chainring is a stretch that brings more problems than advantages.”
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