UDINE. Four riders, but also a sports director of a top team and a masseur of two confident protagonists. And three stages from the guaranteed spectacle. Friuli will depopulate at the 104th edition of the Giro d’Italia which will start on 8 May from Turin. Yesterday, ten days from the start, the subscribers were announced. In the Trek-Segafredo there is Vincenzo Nibali, who in Livigno is trying to recover in record time after breaking his wrist, there is Egan Bernal of Ineos who will return from Colombia in search of the pink jersey; there are many other protagonists.
And there are also four Friulian riders, three announced for some time and one very welcome surprise. The 26-year-old from Codroipo Matteo Fabbro will be a pillar of Peter Sagan’s Bora Hangrohe. After a great Tirreno-Adriatico, the climber will be among the few Azzurri expected in the standings. In the Israel Start Up Nation here is the duo, Davide Cimolai, 31 years old from Fontanafredda who will aim for the sprints and the “Rosso di Buja” Alessandro De Marchi, 34 years old and man of escapes par excellence. Fourth? A new entry: Nicola Venchiarutti, 22 years old fast passer from Osoppo who in a few weeks went from a possible race in Rwanda to a race to dream, thanks to the repechage of Androni and the good tests in Turkey.
Curiosity: he is the cousin of the regional councilor for finance Barbara Zilli, who with a post celebrated the “binge” of Friulians and is one of the great supporters of the three-day Fvg of the Giro.
“Never seen an expedition like this, good luck to everyone, it is almost touching”, said the patron Enzo Cainero. Yes, because on the flagship Bahrain Merida there will also be the Carnian Franco Pellizotti to orchestrate the pink dreams of Mikel Landa and in the Deceuninck to massage the legs of Joao Almeida and the star Remco Evenepoel there will be Yankee Germano di Terenzano, an institution in the group