Bernal, a leap to Pantani to mortgage the pink jersey

The leader attacks on the Giau and wins a stage halved too quickly due to bad weather «Too bad Marmolada and Pordoi I would have gladly done them». Great Caruso, bad Yates

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO. “Lindo Egan”, say the many Colombian journalists in the press room when Bernal crosses the finish line in Cortina. “Bello Bernal”, because the champion of Bogotà dominated the dolomitic stage halved, with Marmolada and Pordoi cut, and many criticisms, due to bad weather, going away by arrogance on the Giau and falling into the Olympic city with about thirty seconds of advantage on an excellent Romain Bardet (Dsm), who is now aiming for the podium, and an immense Damiano Caruso, the luxury wingman from Bahrain who now takes the luxury of second place in the standings.

“Lindo” Egan, because soaked in water, after a stage in which water and cold raged, he had the clarity, no, better, the respect for a historic race like the Giro, in taking off his cape, putting it back in his back pocket and cross the finish line with arms raised and the pink jersey on display. All at the cost of losing even precious seconds. And who cares.Objectively, barring cataclysms, who can stop the winner of the 2019 Tour de France on the roads of the Bel Paese, when he was only 22 years old?

He has the strongest team, but above all he is the strongest. With clarity and irony. Like in the morning in Sacile. It rains, on the Dolomite peaks that await you, snow falls. While the race direction was busy in surveys and meetings with riders and teams to understand if it is appropriate to “inflict” the riders with four climbs and 5,700 meters of elevation gain and some teams showed their dissent, he posted on social media: “The Boccettini long please … Grit it takes. This is a sport of m … ». The small bottles refer to a duet on Radio Deejay between Nicola Savino and Linus that quickly went viral. A sports director spurred some young riders from a youth team with words of fire. It has become the video of the “little bottles”. Bernal, another demonstration of how he is closely linked to Italy, remembered to get ready for the big stage.

At the start of Sacile, then, he had the surprise: only 155 km. “We safeguard the safety of the riders,” said the director of the Giro, Mauro Vegni. Some teams grumble, many only on the facade. Bernal, having crossed the finish line, will put everyone in agreement: «I would have gladly given a show on Marmolada and Pordoi». “Lindo” Egan. As we have seen in recent decades, we could have easily run, we have seen worse.

The few kilometers traveled, however, were spectacular. On the first ascent of Crosetta a breakaway of 16 riders goes away, then six. Among them Joao Almeida (Deceuninck) and above all Vincenzo Nibali (Trek), pride to sell.
On the Giau, however, six kilometers from the summit, the Martian accelerated. Impressive and inexorable. Only a few lucky ones have seen it on the road because bad weather has also sent the TV images into a tailspin. Bernal did not take unnecessary risks downhill and won in Cortina.
«I wanted to win with the pink jersey, when I attacked on the Giau I wanted to show off, this is the cycling that I like, even when it is raining and cold. Many yelled at me “Pantani, Pantani”, I was very pleased, at home I do not have my photos on a bike, only a caricature of Marco. We were born on the same day and for me he is great ». He kisses and hugs his Maria Fernanda, wrapped up and happy.

Behind the other race: at 31 “and 33” arrive Romain Bardet (Dsm) and a great Damiano Caruso (Bahrain), good Giulio Ciccone and Hugh Carthy at 2’18 “. Malino Alexander Vlasov (Astana) at 2’21 “, Simon Yates badly at 2’47”, badly Remco Evenepoel, who when Bernal crossed the finish line crossed the Giau, 18 km higher.
Tuesday rest day in Canazei. Blessed for many.