Tour of Italy. One escape, two faces: Cort’s smile, De Marchi’s emotion

Tour of Italy.  One escape, two faces: Cort's smile, De Marchi's emotion

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In Viareggio the fugitives anticipate the group: the Dane wins the 10th stage of the pink race, the Italian finishes third. Second is Derek Gee, a great discovery from these first days of the Giro

Now try to catch. When David Bais And Magnus Cort They have reached Alessandro DeMarchi And Derek Gee, who were 150 kilometers away from the finish line, looked at each other as accomplices, turned around and took heart from the absence of the group: better four than two. Maybe they said this to each other, now try to get it, maybe not, they certainly started pedaling at a good pace, one in line with the other, synchronously, without being smart. There was a group to keep at a distance, they would have thought about it in the last kilometre. With 150 kilometers to go, it is not obvious to arrive, especially when there are few of us grappling with the opposite will of many. And it was even less obvious after the disappearance of Davide Bais on the descent of Passo delle Radici. He wasn’t obvious, but it happened. The peloton didn’t come back, the three fought for the stage win in the last kilometer and a half: Derek Gee and Alessandro De Marchi tried it, Magnus Cort did it. And with the victory in Viareggio, the tenth stage of the Giro d’Italia, the Dane can say that he too managed to win at least one stage in all three grand tours.

The group’s long run-up, which at a certain point – at the end of the Passo delle Radici descent – ​​almost seemed like a formality, did not in fact end up as the sprinters had imagined, or would have liked. The life of the sprinter’s supporters is not simple when you have to chase the fugitives when there are only a few pulling the chasing cart and most people don’t care in the least about wasting energy in a completely useless run-up, because you know how it goes finish up against riders like Jonathan Milan, Mads Pedersen, Pascal Ackermann: they win. And it’s even less easy for the followers to chase the fugitives when there are tough people like Magnus Cort, Alessandro De Marchi and Derek Gee ahead, riders who have no problem getting wind in their faces, who feel less fatigue than others.

The Dane and the Italian have been outstanding men of the avant-garde for years. The Canadian from Israel -Premier Tech no, he’s in his first season on the World Tour, in the first three-week stage race of his career. Two breakaways over two courses at the finish (he had also tried it at Paris-Roubaix, but ended up with the front wheel in pieces) and two second places are a good start. You don’t end up in the breakaways at the Giro d’Italia by chance, Derek Gee has shown that he is quite shrewd, that he has a great leg, that he is a solid and handsome avant-garde companion, above all without reverential fears. The group is tired and less and less numerous – between Covid, cold, falls and fatigue (which in the cold is worth triple) – there will still be opportunities for the fugitives, there will be time for victory.

What seems to no longer glimpse Alessandro De Marchi. After the arrival the emotion was liquid in his eyes. The strained expression, the tired words. “It’s starting to get a little frustrating. But tomorrow morning I’ll be back there ready to try again. I would have liked to try a little less and get it right the first time, but the story looks like this ”, he told Eurosport microphones.

The displeasure felt by the Friulian is understandable. The memory of those three hundred meters too many in Naples, those of the other victories only touched. The thought that even in good times, like the pink jersey worn two years ago, something broke too soon. The sensation is that of chasing a balloon inflated with helium that goes up, up, up, and no matter how much it climbs, you can’t catch it. Nor can he be heartened by the fact that with every shot, every attempt, every chase, he has contributed to increasing the appreciation of a part of the public, which does not add up the number of victories but the number of kilometers in front of the group. He may be pleased, but he doesn’t take away the regret of the happiness seen disappearing a few meters from the finish line.

In Viareggio, in all probability, Jay Vine’s podium thoughts also evaporated. The Australian crashed, chased, was over ten minutes late. He will run as a free hitter, as befits him.

The order of arrival of the 10th stage of the Giro d’Italia 2023

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