Breakaway dismantles the ‘volata’ on a day of mourning for cycling sport

This Friday is not a very pleasant day to talk about classifications and sporting events after the mid-morning news of the death of Swiss cyclist Gino Maider after suffering a serious fall on the last descent of the day in Thursday’s stage of the Tour of Switzerland. Cycling is a risky sport and from time to time it reminds us of this. Rest in peace, Gino.

The presence of Valico della Fricca almost from the start meant that the penultimate day of the Giro Next Gen had to start with a good warm-up. All the teams were committed to this task in the run-up and from the start of the climb, with the atmosphere very hot, the attacks came. An offensive carousel with some riders involved among the cyclists well placed in the general classification (William Junior Lecerf, seventh). And the fact is that 10.6 kilometres at an average of 6% faced with energy and desire are a major obstacle.

On the Valico della Fricca there were attacks, with intense control by Jumbo-Visma, and Arnau Gilabert, Andrea Montoli and Fran Muñoz were very attentive. On the descent and the flat terrain that followed, a rapid regrouping was almost general, except for three absences: Alessandro Romele and Sergio Meris (Colpack) and Davide De Pretto (Zalf). The three of them, in the breakaway, would achieve a significant gap of more than seven minutes that allowed them to play for the stage, with Romele winning ahead of De Pretto. In the bunch, 2’49” behind, finished Gilabert, Montoli, Raccagni and Muñoz. Ramón Fernández finished 24″ behind the big group. Johannes Staune-Mittet remains in the overall lead.

The Giro Next Gen faces this Saturday the other big mountain stage of this edition. It will be 176 kilometres between Possagno and the Pian del Cansiglio plateau. San Lorenzo San Boldo, Nevegal, Valmoral Malga Cate and the one close to the finish Campon, not all of them scoring for the mountain grand prix, will make the race tougher. Malga Cate is very tough in its initial part and the first four kilometres of Campo have an average gradient of 10.7%.

[? La Presse / Giro Next Gen]