Diego Sevilla’s day in the sun
It is nice to see a guy like Diego Sevilla experience a day like today. He who started cycling in the Fundacion Contador jersey, he who grew up with that jersey on and dreamed of living what he is living in these weeks. Because for him, being here at the Giro d’Italia is something beyond what a boy dares to imagine: beauty and wonder, day after day. And then come stages like today’s, with Diego taking all the applause from the people and all the hours of live TV coverage (in addition to winning a intermediate sprint, which never hurts…): a breakaway, beautiful and very long, which started after 4 km and went all the way to 25 from the finish. It was known that the sprinters wouldn’t leave room for the day’s attackers, but it was still good and right to be there: to be seen, to give themselves something to talk about once they got home. Bravo, Diego.
In the end Alberto Dainese (DSM) won, in a photo finish on the Caorle finish line ahead of Jonathan Milan (Bahrain Victorious) and Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla). A sprint that saw our Albanese try for yet another top 10 for our team in this Giro, to finish 11th. An easy stage on paper before the big mountains of the coming days, which saw the breakaway go away after a few kilometers with our Sevilla along with Senne Leysen (Alpecin Deceuninck), Thomas Champion (Cofidis) and Charlie Quarterman (Corratec Selle Italia). With the peloton always in control, the four held out until a handful of kilometers from the finish with Sevilla doing well to take the first of two intermediate sprints. From tomorrow, the last mountains: they will decide who will win the Giro, we will do everything to try to leave our mark.
Diego Sevilla: “Today we expected an easy breakaway and no big gap to dream about any possibilites with also head wind. But anyway I attacked to be in the front group to show the team colors. Happy, one more day down, one less day to reach Rome.”
Stefano Zanatta: “Today so many kilometers of breakaway with Diego, he was very good to resist until 25 km to the finish with the group that never left so much space. Then we tried to make the sprint with Albanese who finished 11th, by a whisker we were out of the top 10 but I think he and Maestri did a good job and the whole team did very well in preparing the sprint. Tomorrow is a very tough stage, we will give everything.”
