He did not open his arms, he did not raise them to the sky. The jersey was not pointed out nor did it have a dedicated dedication. He could only put one hand to his head and hold his helmet. Pure spontaneity. Total disbelief. Mouth open in surprise and happiness. He had just won. Yes, he What a triumph. A success of many carats for the Guaje, who sculpted a jewel in Rapolano Terme.
There are times when victories must be judged by the stage. Sometimes, they shine more because of the route, because of the hardness of the profile. Others, they are praised by the rivals over whom one prevails. The one of Pelayo Sánchez, at the Giro, on the day of the terrato, with Alaphilippe (Soudal), a world champion, behind, narrowing his head, is great for all three conditions. It had everything and more.
In his first Giro, in his first major with Movistar, in the first week of the race, Pelayo Sánchez proved to be quite a stage chaser. The 24-year-old Asturian won the day of the white dirt roads, in a kind of classic, contested race. The landscapes of Tuscany inspired Sánchez, who was not satisfied with being at the front, with being among the first, but dared to mentor a world star like Julian Alaphilippe. The ex-cyclist from Burgos-BH allowed himself the luxury of defeating him in the sprint to get on the podium.
“It’s incredible. I have no words. It’s crazy,” Sánchez said at the finish line, still pinching himself. He had been embraced by his colleagues Einer Rubio and also Albert Torres. Juanpe López (Lidl) approached him to congratulate him in person. Even Alaphilippe himself, elegant, chivalrous, who was on the run and on the attack all day, recognized his superiority upon arrival at the Rapolano thermals.
It had been five years since a Spaniard had won a stage in the Giro, from Pello Bilbao to Monte Avena on July 1, 2019. This anomaly has ended thanks to one of the five Spanish cyclists in the corsa rosa. Few, but they make a lot of noise, because like Pelayo Sánchez they are very clear about what they want and what they are looking for.
“I’ve tried to save energy since the beginning of the Giro for the day I get into the breakaway. What I couldn’t imagine is that I would win in the first one”, he explained about his tactic of the ant, always saving his strength for the right moment.
“Winning a major is a dream. Last year in the Vuelta I was close”, remembered Sánchez, referring to the day in the Sierra de Guadarrama, with ten gates, when he escaped with Evenepoel and Rui Costa, two other world champions. Then they were beaten by the veteran Poels.
But Sanchez proved he was ready for the jump. A few months later, in January, he confirmed it by winning the Pollença-Port d’Andratx trophy ahead of Vlassov, Van Wilder or McNulty. And yesterday there was, in the last 20 kilometers, Pelayo Sánchez next to a double world champion like Alaphilippe and a Luke Plapp who fought in Paris-Nice with the best, an Australian ex-Ineos. It seemed that what was left over, what was left over, was the Spaniard, who had just arrived at the World Tour. serious mistake
The Asturian was no ordinary guest. And he played with his fellow escapees like a veteran, in pure Freire style. It made them nervous. He even tried to leave them in the repetjón of Serre di Rapolano. Just crossing the banner of the last kilometer he wanted to be the last of the group of three, to see it in person. Dominating the scene That’s how he saw Alaphilippe start, caught up with him and overtook him on the outside, on the long side, a sign that he had a lot of gas.
Pelayo Sánchez is a treasure. with a lot of class Carlos Rodríguez and Juan Ayuso, the two crack players of the future, are not alone.
