Report The incredible story of the 'Maglia nera' or the prize for the art of losing
Past stage Simon Pellaud, the Swiss who lives in a cabin in Colombia, the king of the Giro fugues
Tim Merlier
did have a
solid
name, but it was, after all, his first online stage in a Grand Tour and he won it against some of the best sprinters in the world.
Taco Van der Hoorn
had so little name that a few months ago he was about to leave cycling, because nobody offered him a contract, until Intermarché appeared to rescue him.
Joe Dombrowski
had it, but lost it, like so many other promises of American cycling whose expectations exceed them. And
Gino Mäder
will have a name, but not too much yet, with just one previous victory on his record and an explosion that had not yet arrived.
This is the Giro of the 'nameless', a huge fishing ground of opportunities for stage victory that is rarely seen in a Grand Tour. There is also
Attila Valter
, another unconfirmed future promise who has already been wearing the 'pink jersey' for three days. And all of them are joined by
Victor Lafay
, a product of that factory of French climbers who 'seem like ... but don't finish ...' and who this Saturday scored the stage victory at Guardia Sanframondi, the first for Cofidis in a World Tour event for two years, when
Jesús Herrada
won Ares del Maestrat in the Vuelta.
Lafay had already shown his good set-up in the queen stage of the Vuelta a la Comunidad Valenciana, in which he tightened the nuts on an entire
Enric Mas
and in which he finished fourth overall despite his poor skill against the clock.
This Saturday he saw his great opportunity and, now, he took advantage of it.
In a relatively large getaway (nine riders), the victory can be pursued by mischief or by sheer force.
Lafay did not need the first because he was tremendously superior to the rest in the second.
The favorites, relaxing
From the start of the stage it was known that the victory would be in the break that was formed, because the men of the general agreed, without having to speak, to save their strength for the demanding stage on Sunday, ending in Campo Felice and much accumulated drop. Hence, the first hour of the race was frantic, with half the platoon trying to form a breakout to which the other half platoon would not give consent if there was not a good representative of their team in it.
After nearly 60 kilometers of attacks and counterattacks, the day's getaway ended with nine men, a curious Macedonian that included sprinters (
Gavazzi
,
Arndt
and
Gaviria
), rollers (
Campenaerts
,
Oliveira
and
Gougeard
) and climbers (
Goossens
, Lafay and
Carboni
). Behind, the toast was left for the Groupama-FDJ of Attila Valter, who neither has enough power to control such a break nor did he want to speed up the race, aware that a calm development guaranteed another day with the 'pink jersey' . That's how it went.
The understanding between the leading men was constant in Bocca di Selva, the great ascent of the day, 20 kilometers long and without exaggerated slopes. The movements began on the descent, in the final 50 kilometers. Gaviria, aware of his inferiority on the final slope, threw himself down. Crashing around a curve forced him to reflect: he had already done everything he had to do this Saturday. Among other things, score points for a 'cyclamen jersey' that
Caleb Ewan
, after his abandonment, will no longer defend. With two stage victories he settled and it is preferable to rest to try to repeat his baggage on the Tour.
Once on the plain, it was Campenaerts who continually tested it, a consummate time trial rider who had fallen behind, another who knew he was dead in the final 3.5 kilometers uphill. In one of those, he managed to detach himself from his companions, taking Carboni to his wheel, so at ease behind such a wheeler. He had a plan: as soon as the road turned uphill, the Italian took the lunge and was left as the head of the solo race.
His problem was that from behind, with an agile and powerful pedal stroke, Lafay decided it was his turn.
He jumped out of the group, overcame the difference and surpassed Carboni with great ease, without the Italian being able to do anything.
From there until the end, no one even contemplated the option of hunting him down.
The stage victory was already his.
Behind, almost five minutes later, the favorites of the general appeared, with the sole exception of
Pello Bilbao
, who had a hook with
Fabbro
at the final level and gave up half a minute.
There were no stab wounds, everything remains for Sunday's stage in the Apennines.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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