Albanese tries and dreams on his home roads

Giro d’Italia 2021
Stage 12: Siena – Bagno di Romagna (212 km)

Once again like this, halfway. Halfway between that subtle disappointment for a victory only imagined and pursued, and the satisfaction of having been there and raced as the protagonists do. Vincenzo Albanese had been marking this stage with a red marker for weeks: he wanted to do something good on his home roads. And he tried, and how he tried. Because yes, it was he who led the right breakaway after 60 km that the peloton did at full throttle: a breakaway with 16 riders that took the advantage needed to get to the finish line.

And our Albanese – how many people on the roads for him, how many signs on the road and how many banners – was the soul of the breakaway, so much so that we all started to believe in him even though we knew that that climb with 11 km to go would be very hard (perhaps too hard for him).

And in fact, the Passo del Carnaio was fatal for Alba, who broke away on the first few slopes, leaving his breakaway companions to fight for the victory (Vendrame won) and then arriving a few minutes late. Disappointed? Not disappointed. Angry? Yes, but with the right kind of anger. The anger of those who will try again. The positive anger of a team that will continue to leave its mark on this Giro.

Today’s stage is flat: 198 km from Ravenna to Verona.

Vincenzo Albanese: “These are my roads, I train here every day and I know them very well: I know every meter and I know well even the last climb, so I knew that there I would struggle to stay with the leaders. It was already very difficult to start the breakaway, I really struggled a lot to get away and then I paid for that effort. But I’m happy because I tried and I gained a lot of experience. Will I try again? What a question… of course you will”.

[   PhotoGomezSport]