LEVICO TERME – Two people rejoice in the same way at the finish line in Viale Vittorio Emanuele. In Levico Terme, the last stage of the Tour of the Alps is won by Aurélien Paret-Paintre, while Juan Pedro Lopez (ninth) wins the general ahead of O’Connor and Tiberi.
The final fraction of the “TotA” is crackling, less obvious than one might have thought. Lopez doesn’t panic when he suffers attacks from almost all of his closest rivalsfrom the men of Bahrain-Victorius to those of Decathlon-AG2R La Difesa. Just looking at the competition, the triumph of the Andalusian Lidl-Trek is as unexpected as it is deserved. If the victory in the third stage in Schwaz could have appeared as the fruit of a great day, the final green jersey is confirmation of the renewed dimension into which Lopez has entered.
The first times of “Juanpe”
We remained with Lopez, whom we met on the summit of Etna at the Giro d’Italia two years ago when he won the pink jersey which he wore for ten days. Then all trace of him was lost for one reason or another. We wanted to put ourselves to the test on the roads of the Euregio and the result was astonishing, with a thought for everyone and everything.
«It’s my first victory in a general classification – he says in the press conference – a few days after my first victory as a pro. I’m very happy and if I think about it I get very emotional, but not just for me. I think of my family and friends. But I also think of our general manager (Luca Guercilena, ed.) who is not going through a good time. So I told myself that I had to try to win for him too.
«Looking at the altitude of the stages – continues Lopez – the fourth should have been the hardest one, but perhaps on balance it turned out to be the latter. My opponents made me sweat today. We knew it would be difficult, but we were convinced that we could control the climbs well. The work done by Carlos and Amanuel (Verona and Ghebreigzhabier respectively, ed.) was truly crazy. I have to thank my team so much.”
Lopez returns home with other convictions. «I said it straight away when I won in Schwaz that the terrain of this race is truly fantastic for training. Maybe a little too cold for me, but now it has become perfect (smiles, ed.). It will remain a race that I will carry in my heart forever because it allowed me to achieve my first victories. I hope to return to TotA in 2025 to defend this success.”
Dribbles and route on the Giro
On the press conference table every day there was a soccer ball, symbol of the Tour of the Alps partnership with Serie B FC Sudtirol. In the last two post-stages, Lopez showed a glimpse of a one-man show by dribbling for a long time before indulging in questions. A sign of a serene and confident runner.
«In recent days – he explains – I have been wearing the green shirt, which has small white streaks. That is, the club colors of Betis Seville, the team I support. I played a lot of football as a child and it was an important sport for me. This last morning my trainer encouraged me with the Betis slogan and got me very excited.
On the horizon is the race that launched him to the general public: «In 2022 I did 10 days in the pink jersey, finishing tenth, but it’s 2022. Now I look to the next Giro without thinking about the one from two years ago. I’m going to the Giro to aim for some stages, that’s my goal. If the ranking comes, all the better. After this victory I’m not looking long term this season. The first thing I will do tomorrow is think about recovery and rest well. I don’t want to see too far ahead because you never know what can happen».
Seen from Popovych
One of the first mornings, we met Yaroslav Popovych in the bus area who told us about the mix of his Lidl-Trek. A formation made up of a couple of young people from I have to team with Cataldo acting as mother hen and other expert athletes supporting Juanpe Lopez. It was also difficult for the Ukrainian director to make predictions.
«I honestly didn’t expect a Tour of the Alps like this – he analyzes beaming behind the awards podium – We came here with the aim of winning a few stages knowing that the race was very tough. It became even more so with the rain and cold after the first few days. For us this victory is a dream. We were always there fighting, but Juanpe saw something spectacular in us. In Schwaz on the day he won the stage, at the end I shouted to him on the radio “you’re not back, you’re a completely new Juanpe!”. Before we knew him as disoriented and agitated. Instead here, the way he ran, with intelligence and clarity, he is another runner.
«Juanpe is a great talker, he is very nice – continues Popovych – he is everyone’s friend, he talks to everyone, from his teammate to his opponent, to the drivers of the cars in the race to the motorcyclist. At the end of the race he animated his teammates and also encouraged his rivals. The classic words that are said in those situations. However, this is the demonstration of his superiority in mind and condition.
Popovych is also on the same wavelength as Lopez regarding race conduct. «We had a less equipped team than the competition, but we were well prepared. Carlos went like a train today, making up for yesterday’s performance where he was lost. This morning I was a little scared, but when you have the leader’s jersey everything changes. High morale helps and brings you at least 15 percent more energy and motivation. Amanuel also showed what a strong boy he is.
«We will go through the stages at the Giro – Popovych greets us with the final consideration – Basically we prepare the team for the Milan train for the sprints, then we will have 2-3 riders to aim for the stages. Before the Tour of the Alps Juanpe was aiming for the stages, now the bar is raised. Let’s see how the first few days go to understand what he can do and whether to aim for a good general classification.”
Tags: Juanpe Lopez takes Tour Alps
