MILAN. Passionately kisses his Maria Fernanda on arrival Egan Bernal, hugs everyone, celebrates in a riot of Colombian flags. The Giro is his, he also defended himself in the time trial in the final performance.
Only Bartali, Gimondi and Merckx have already won Giro and Tour at less than 25 years old. «I have so many emotions inside me, after the Tour I won at 22 I had lost my grit, then the physical troubles arrived: now I’m starting off doing the thing I like most: having fun on a bicycle. It is the most beautiful thing. And beware, happiness is found in simple things, ”he says with spectacular maturity and simplicity. “And Pogacar and Roglic are strong and give me other stimuli.”
The Tour of the Colombian, but also of the Sicilian. They have already illuminated the town hall of his Ragusa in pink. And Damiano Caruso (Bahrain), second, was also sumptuous against the clock, giving in 30 km 30 “to the pink jersey and 1’29” to Simon Yates (Exchange). It arrives. Instead, he kisses his Ornella: “I enjoyed it all, right down to the last kilometer,” he says. Overjoyed.
Bernal, Yates and Caruso; the podium of the 2021 Giro
And it is the Giro, with an Olympic view, also of Filippo Ganna, praetorian Ineos of Bernal. The phenomenon won with the usual class and power, despite a puncture just before the last kilometer made him lose precious seconds. Only the Frenchman Remi Cavagna (Deceuninck), who lost for only 13 ”, frightened him: he was really playing it when in the final he missed a corner flying against the barriers.
But, as seven months ago at the last stage of the Giro d’autunno, Ganna won, as with Tao Geoghegan Hart his Ineos had won, not surprisingly the top cycling team with an astronomical budget of over 40 million euros that allows to sign, for example, a Dani Martinez, potentially on the podium, finished fifth, despite the work for the Bernal pink jersey.
Bernal basin your Maria Fernanda
Ganna and Ineos: end of analogies. Because the Giro 104 was marvelously that of the double restart: at the end of October the caravan almost reluctantly swooped into an already armored Milan due to the second blow of the pandemic. Italy in color was now a done thing, the most loved race by Italians endured, fleeing the spread of infections.
Sunday no. The Giro was welcomed by a city that, like the rest of the country, shot over and over in these three weeks, is putting the nightmare behind it. In October the streets were deserted, in this edition the fans took back the scene.
And then the other “break” compared to October, sporting, cycling priceless: in October the Giro degli Italiani was basically an “on man show” by Ganna, three time trials won and also the mountain stage on the Sila, and little other.
This, on the other hand, was the Giro of the rebirth of the Italians. Ganna is always there, thoroughbred and mule in a crazy mix, as there were the praetorians of Bernal, Salvatore Puccio and Gianni Moscon. But then the pink became contaminated with blue from Turin to Milan: Edoardo Affini (Jumbo), Alessandro De Marchi (Israel) in pink, Andrea Vendrame (Ag2r), Giacomo Nizzolo (Qhubeka). And again the solo by Lorenzo Fortunato (Eolo) on the Zoncolan, that of Alberto Bettiol, (EF) in Stradella.
Yes, even that of Vincenzo Nibali (Trek), who had fallen before the Giro, fell back during the race, he suffered, but he never gave up. And then, as in the game of goose, we return to Damiano Caruso, the most beautiful great discontinuity compared to the Giro d’autunno: the luxury wingman from Bahrain thrilled, amazed. He took a second place to scream and on Saturday a stop at Alpe Motta to tell his grandchildren.
Filippo Ganna in action in the time trial
Now there is space for the Tour de France – by the way on Sunday via the Dauphiné (Sonny Colbrelli, another Bahrain, second) – that the Giro, never like this year, must not look on with awe and not only for Bernal’s victory.
It is still sunny in Piazza Duomo when the technicians clear the boxes and barriers. By the end of October, darkness had long since fallen. Find the differences.
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