Giro d'Italia, Healy solo. Roglic detaches Evenepoel, Leknessund saves the pink jersey
FOSSOMBRONE (Pesaro) – After days of nothing or almost a day of pure, great cycling in the Terni-Fossombrone. Attack after attack, a great stage winner, the Irishman Ben Healy, but also resounding slaps between Roglic and Evenepoel on the last climb of the day, the very tough climb of the Cappuccini. Remco struggles to keep up with the Slovenian and loses his wheels, defends himself, limits the damage, but shows his limits uphill, perhaps amplified by a non-optimal physical condition. Roglic eats him 14”, not many, but very significant. He doesn't change the pink jersey: Leknessund limits his gap from Evenepoel to 20” and defends the symbol of primacy by 8”. Roglic is third at 38”. Damiano Caruso enters the top 10 (he is 9th at 1'39"). But the presence with Roglic of the Ineos duo Thomas-Geoghegan Hart is very significant and threatening in terms of the Giro: the British team, even without Filippo Ganna, stranded by Covid and forced to retire, really seems the best equipped for the final success and has two captains (5th and 6th now the two, and just under a minute from Leknessund) to play on the table that counts. Tomorrow, in Cesena, the time trial will reshuffle the cards again and in all probability will give Evenepoel the pink jersey back. But it's a very open Giro and, finally, it can be said, beautiful.
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The stage to the Irishman Healy
At km 12 the breakaway of the day is born, at 13: inside there are Valentin Paret-Peintre (Ag2r Citroen), Derek Gee (Israel Premier Tech), Ben Healy (EF), Carlos Verona (Movistar), Alessandro Tonelli (Green Project Bardiani Csf Faizanè), Filippo Zana (Jayco AlUla), Mattia Bais (Eolo Kometa), François Bidard (Cofidis), Samuele Battistella (Astana), Toms Skujins (Trek Segafredo), Warren Barguil (Arkea Samsic), Oscar Riesebeek (Alpecin) and Alessandro Iacchi (Corratec Selle Italia). The maximum advantage is close to 5 minutes. In the first lap on the Cappuccini climb, the Irishman Healy attacks, in the big group instead it is Ineos who takes the initiative for his captains Thomas and Geoghegan Hart. The group of attackers shatters, while Healy really makes the difference by isolating himself more than a minute and a half from his first pursuers. At the head of the group, Ineos is replaced by Roglic's Jumbo for long stretches, especially on the second climb, that of the Cesane.
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Roglic detaches Evenepoel
Healy arrives all alone, with over two minutes on the final climb, the Capuchins. Behind it a strange stop peeing for Roglic, right at the hottest moment, on the approach to the last climb, and with all his team ahead doing the forcing. But it's really Roglic's attack that hurts: only Vlasov and the pink jersey Leknessund resist him, Evenepoel more in difficulty, who has to fish at the bottom of the tank to defend himself. Roglic restarts again and eliminates Vlasov, while Evenepoel gradually returns under him, but fails to hook him and indeed, is joined by Geoghegan Hart and Thomas right at the top of the Cappuccini. The trio goes, but with a few seconds on Evenepoel, Almeida and Buitrago.
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Vince Healy, behind him the Canadian Gee, the Italian champion Zana and the French Barguil over two minutes away. Roglic, Geoghegan Hart and Thomas arrive at 4'34”, Evenepoel loses 14” from the Slovenian. The pink jersey at 5'08”. Healy, the stage winner, is one of the great revelations of 2023: born in 2000, he was second at the Amstel Gold Race behind Tadej Pogacar, as well as having won Larciano and a stage at Coppi e Bartali.
The Sunday time trial between Savignano sul Rubicone and Cesena, 35 km of pure sliding, is therefore an assist for Evenepoel. But we are just a third of the Giro. The adventure has only just begun.
