Yates beats time and warns the company

In the time trial of Budapest the Englishman wins by surprise. Van der Poel, third, defends the pink jersey well. What a good Nibali

BUDAPEST. Message to sailors from Buda Castle, view of the Danube and its enchanting city of Pest: Simon Yates he is there and if he does not get lost on a bad day, as has often happened to him in recent years in Italy, he has the head and legs to finally win the pink jersey he has been chasing for years.

Yes, because the 29-year-old twin of the Bike Exchange, on Saturday 7 May set a number in the 9 km time trial suitable for some big names, but certainly not for him. He spun off in the stretch on the left bank of the Danube, then, on the other side of the river going up the hill of Buda, he did bingo: 11’50 “at 46.6 km / h on average. Tempone and message to the rivals for the pink jersey. Four years ago in Rovereto he paid an over-rev in the time trial collapsing in the Piedmontese Alps, now he seems more ready even with his head.

«Thanks to my coach Marco Pinotti! I worked a lot with him on the time trial bike », he says. The Bergamo sports director at Bike Ecchange is doing a great job. Mashed potato Matteo Sobrerowho is engaged to the sister of Filippo Ganna and therefore he knows about time trial, he finished fourth yesterday. In short, work pays off and rivals for the pink jersey are warned. Because the Englishman of the BikeExchange was 5 ” Tom Dumoulin (Jumbo), which on Tuesday on Etna we will understand if it will really be found, of 18 ” Joao Almeida (Uae) and the incredible Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), 22 “and 27” the couple Ineos richie door e Richard Carapaz. And still 24 ” Romain Bardet (Dsm), 33” Mikel Landa (Bahrain) e 34 ” Jay Hindley (Bora).

Nothing definitive, for heaven’s sake, then maybe Adam’s twin, like two years ago at the Giro d’autunno, will suffer from the slopes of the volcano, but a good warning yes. “It’s my best victory against time. It was an unexpected success – he said – I went as fast as I could, even on the flat. It was a great 10 minute effort, there will be many more in the next few days. I never thought I would win until Mathieu Van der Poel did not cross the finish line ».
Already Van der Poel. Okay Yates, but, gentlemen, Mathieu did a world-class time trial. Three guards behind the winner, a last kilometer uphill, in some places even tough, devoured with strength and class. We emphasize, between two wings of the crowd. Because, it is true, going to Orban to start the Giro in this period was perhaps not the best choice, but people on the roads have seen a lot of it and with an enthusiasm for cycling which, it must be said, in certain parts of Italy should be exported.

«I would have signed up for this result. I gave myself another day in the pink jersey, and maybe even more than one since on the Balaton we will most likely end up in the sprint and we will all be for Mareczko (despite the surname is Italian maybe today… ed) I’m satisfied », he said.

Before returning the church to the center of the village. He is greedy for pasta which in the Netherlands he also seasoned with ketchup which he is crazy about. «Don’t worry, in Italy I’ll use the tomato», he joked with the pink shirt on.

Sunday 8 May third stage. From Kaposvar to Lake Balaton, the Hungarian Sea. Two hundred km, all flat, a foregone sprint. Caleb Ewan (Lot) the one that fell in the Visegrad flow, will try to make up for it Arnaud Demare (Groupama), but above all a Mark Cavendish. The Englishman from the Isle of Man is 36 years old, the record number of stages won in the Tour (33, like Merckx), already 15 “scalps” in the Giro and above all at Deceuninck the best rider in the sprint group, the Dane Michael Morkov. A policy-victory on the edge of 70 per hour.

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