Redhead, German, almost 1.90 meters tall, powerful and a good climber. The profile does not deceive. The young man who escapes on the Passo Brocon, who he leads in the first ascent and who almost has a three-minute advantage in the second and final climb, has a structure that is familiar to fans. And they are not at all wrong. Georg Steinhauser, the winner of the 17th stage, is related to Jan Ullrich. The nephew of the Rostock express made his debut in style at the Giro. At 22 years old, the Education First cyclist achieved his first victory as a professional in his first participation in a grand tour.
Brothers, children and parents, nephews and even grandchildren. The bicycle is often in the blood, it is learned at home. That is why cycling is a very family sport. They run like the Paret-Peintre, the García Pierna and before that the Schleck or the Indurain. The sons of ex-cyclists become professionals and illustrious surnames such as Beloki, Arrieta or Zabel return to the peloton, as in their day Roche or even Merckx, with his son Axel. Without forgetting that Mathieu van der Poel is Poulidor’s grandson. The Dutchman is, like Lenny Martinez, a third generation cyclist.
The German Georg Steinhauser grew up between wheels, frames and handlebars. His father, Tobias, was a cyclist in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He did not have great successes, he raced the Tour three times and was fifth in the 2000 World Championship, which a Latvian won in Plouay. But during his career he established a great friendship with Jan Ullrich, with whom he met at Bianchi and T-Mobile. When he retired, Tobias worked as a designer of Ullrich brand bicycles. And the 1997 Tour winner married Sara, Tobias’ sister and Georg’s aunt.
The kid is making a lot of appearances in the Giro. He gets into the breakaways, on Sunday in Livigno he was third, only after Quintana and Pogacar. This time he hit the target. Pogacar, who attacks almost by routine, could not pass him. “This morning I thought I had good legs and I thought I had to try it again,” he explained about his tactic, which almost didn’t materialize.
When the Gobbera Pass began to be ascended, 60 kilometers from the finish line, it seemed that history was going to repeat itself and everything would once again be at the mercy of the legs and head of Tadej Pogacar. Groundhog Day in pink. Sometimes teams other than his own serve the candy in his mouth. They prepare dinner, set the table and even light candles for the banquet. On Tuesday it was Movistar who handed him victory on a plate on Mount Pana. This Wednesday, on the way to Passo Brocon, it was the DSM that pulled and pulled to finish the breakaway that had formed at the start, on the long descent of the Sella, the Coppi summit.
Everything was coming back together. Nobody clearly took the initiative. Seeing the indecision, Steinhauser launched himself, harmless to the general classification. It is logical that Pogacar does not notice him and lets him go. Not so much that others do it. But the German is making a way. He crowns the first Brocon with two minutes, takes another one on the descent. He stands with three in the last port, while the Ineos take command of the group of favorites but do not dare.
Are waiting. They wait so much that, in fact, the first to attack is Daniel Felipe Martínez (Bora), the second, his rival, who wants to make more differences with Thomas. And then Pogacar starts, like almost every day. “I heard that he attacked on the radio but I was already in the last two kilometers,” confesses Steinhauser, who defends himself in the mountains, as he demonstrated in the Porvenir of 2021 with Carlos Rodríguez and Zana, who endures and celebrates, with the hairs on arms standing on end.
This time the Slovenian does not win. He arrives at the finish line relaxed, 20 seconds ahead of the line of Tiberi, Thomas, Dani Martínez, Einer Rubio and Bardet, who mark each other, annul each other and amnesty Ben O’Connor. While they scoff, Steinhauser, Ullrich’s nephew, presents himself in style in style.
