It had been 39 years since the Giro d’Italia had come to Lucca, since Moser won a time trial. So Mario Cipollini could never be a prophet there, despite the 42 stages he won in the Corsa Rosa. If he had had the opportunity, the great Italian sprinter would surely not have spoiled the possible party with a getaway, as happened to Milan, Merlier, Kooij, Ewan and Groves.
The sprinters let themselves be robbed of the volata by four adventurers, who started 76 kilometers from the finish line and who played the stage even though they never had more than a minute and a half advantage. The favorable wind and the always descending terrain in the last 20 kilometers dislocated the sprinters’ trains, who were unable to hunt down the escapees, four good rollers.
The winner was the Frenchman Benjamin Thomas (Cofidis), who was faster than Valgren, Pietrobon and Paleni. A success in the Giro to silence the detractors. Thomas celebrated by zipping his mouth and pointing to the sponsor’s name. Cofidis was the only World Tour team that had not yet won in 2024. “It has been almost like a team chase. Every time we gave a relay we went to the limit,” explained Thomas, who has a track record.
Meanwhile, from behind, the platoon did not organize. Groves’ Alpecin fought for a large part of the stage and at the Montemagno pass (fourth) but disappeared in the final part, which angered Lidl-Trek, who was working for Milan, winner the day before. When they agreed, it was too late. They were 11 seconds behind, led by Milan’s own maglia ciclamino. And the worst thing is that until Wednesday the fast men will not have another flat and pure finish.
“Now I will be able to relax for a few days,” Pogacar proclaimed at the Oropa Sanctuary, where he won the stage and dressed in pink. That relaxation ended this Wednesday as the race enters three important days: the Siena sterrato, the tough time trial in Perugia and the second high finish in Prati di Tivo, a climb that the Slovenian knows since he already conquered it in the Tirreno. Adriatic of 2021, ahead of Simon Yates, Higuita and Landa.
