Tour of Italy. In Crans Montana Rubio wins. Luckily there is Pinot

Alé Tibò. It has to be said that luckily there is Thibaut Pinot. Luckily there are his shots, his fights, his ups and downs, his irregular gait, sometimes en danseuse, sometimes heavy, his accelerations and his hesitations, his elations and his emotional thuds. Thibaut Pinot finished second, he could have won but he didn’t succeed. She has tried it over and over again. You’ve had a falling out with Jefferson Cepeda over and over again. He snapped, he chased, he got angry, then he got mocked at the climax. The thirteenth stage of the Giro d’Italia was won by Einer Rubio, the third man in what had seemed like a duel. It was a three-way fight, but never a Mexican-style standoff. For the reason that Einer Rubio had limited himself to chasing, doing everything possible not to be detached. He was detached, but not much. He has returned. He accelerated at the right time. Thibaut Pinot behind it could not believe it. After crossing the finish line he collapsed on the handlebars. Moved. He is in his final year in the group, he had come to the Giro d’Italia to do well, to try and win at least one stage. He came close.

He got everything wrong that Pinot could have done wrong, he overdid it and found himself without strength when strength was needed. He made a mistake in the usual way, out of too much passion. If so many people have loved him, they love him, well it is also because of his unique being, sometimes wrong, always in his own way.

It was won by Einer Rubio, the big stop that became a little stop, first crippled on Cima Coppi due to snow, then the first one hundred and twenty kilometres, the ascent and descent of the Gran San Bernardo Pass. The riders didn’t want the Croix de Coeur descent, they said it was too dangerous. They’ve been soaked in rain, cold and Covid for days and days. Perhaps they listened to those who weren’t fully informed, perhaps they let themselves be overwhelmed by the discouragement of a Giro they thought was different. The Giro decided that the Croix de Coeur was essential, it could not be done without. The deal cut the beginning to keep the ending.

Luckily there is Thibaut Pinot and Jefferson Cepeda and Einer Rubio. And also to Derek Gee – always better Derek Gee, thank goodness than to Gironimo, the podcast that Bidon does for Alvento, he said “The mountains are unexplored territory for me. Luckily there are the sprinters, I’ll definitely be in the group with them uphill”) – and Valentin Paret-Peintre. And also Lorenzo Fortunato and Hugh Carthy. People who saw the climb and attacked. The start is the beauty of the climb. Those who say they want to wear the pink jersey don’t always remember it.

The pink jersey Geraint Thomas got behind the supporters. Primoz Roglic and Joao Almeida at the wheel of Geraint Thomas. The others behind.

Thomas accelerated with four hundred meters to go. Only a few remained behind him: Almeida, Caruso, Kämna, Roglic, Kuss. All the others shelled out. They lost a few seconds.

The short stages are no more beautiful and hard-fought than the long stages, they are just shorter.

The order of arrival of the 13th stage of the Giro d’Italia 2023