Africa raises its arm in the
Corsa Rosa
.
For the first time, a rider from that continent wins a stage of the Giro d'Italia.
The Eritrean
Biniam Girmay
(22 years old) imposed his strength and top speed in a splendid 30-unit sprint at Jesi's goal.
Illustrious page in the golden book of cycling, signed by the sprinter born in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, located at 2,500 meters above sea level.
Geographical conditions that favor the practice of effort sports, such as cycling or athletics.
Girmay was lucky enough to be able to leave his country and train at the World Cycling Center, managed by the UCI in Aigle (Switzerland).
In his first tests as a youth he stood up to
Remco Evenepoel.
His international baptism came this year with his victory in Ghent-Wevelgen, a very tough cobblestone classic.
This Tuesday he achieved his consecration in a beautiful fight with
Van der Poel
.
The Dutchman pressed with the usual energy, but gave in to the African's push with 20 meters to go.
Juanpe López
continues to lead a very tight round.
The first 10 classified in the general classification are separated by only a rent of 1.22 minutes.
Girmay crowned a difficult day, with a final section strewn with slides, with hardly any flat sections.
An area on the shores of the Adriatic, with little slope, but uncomfortable for sprinters.
Arnaud Démare
,
Mark Cavendish
and
Caleb Ewan
gave in to the pace set by Van der Poel's Alpecine and Girmay's Intermarché.
The tribute to Scarponi
The stage after the break started with the leading role of a trio of adventurers made up of
Mattia Bais
(relentless in a goal of getting into breakaways doomed to failure),
Lawrence Naesen
and
Alessandro de Marchi
, who jumped 15 kilometers after the starting signal in Pescara and that achieved an income greater than six minutes.
De Marchi was the one who stretched the rope the most, neutralized 17 minutes from the finish line.
There he began the dance in the leading positions in the ascent to Monsano, a fourth category port that became a hornet's nest.
With attacks from
Carapaz
,
Pozzovivo
,
Yates
,
Nibali
,
Bardet
and Van der Poel.
Always with Juanpe López well placed within the small platoon.
A madness that only ended with a thousand meters to go, when Girmay and Van der Poel marked each other closely and went for victory without opposition from the rest.
Huge happiness for Girmay, on the day of tribute to
Michele Scarponi
, who died on April 22, 2017, when he was hit by a van during training, near his home, in Filottano, where the race passed this Tuesday.
The Astana team riders brought, in memory of the Italian, the water bottles with a drawing of Frankie the parrot, the mascot of the late winner of the Giro d'Italia in 2011 and the Tirreno Adriatico in 2009. And the Giro takes care of the their heroes like no one.
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Articles Pablo de la Calle