Fortunato tries, but the pain is too great.

There, on the same peak of Mount Grappa where he had triumphed a year ago. There, where history tells of battles and wars of the past. There, where the second stage of the Adriatica Ionica Race was run today: Fortunato was expected and had the favor of prediction, but Saturday’s ruinous fall (grazes, lots of pain, fortunately nothing broken) truncated dreams of an encore.

Too much time lost in the first stage, too much pain that until the last moment put Lorenzo’s departure in doubt. Still, Fortu tried: along with the best until a few kilometers from the, first in the company of teammate Bevilacqua and then solo to then break away from the top group and finish in 7th place.

“This morning I thought I would retire,” Lorenzo says, “I was in the hospital because I was afraid I had broken my wrist, I arrived at the start 20 minutes before the start. Then my teammates brought me to the front, they always kept me there, I was struggling to breathe and my wrist was hurting but I saw that all the teammates were there for me and had faith in me and I stayed for them. In the final I tried to give everything but the hit from yesterday hit me hard, I regret not being able to win especially for my teammates: but from the hospital to having finished seventh is already a great achievement.”

Sprint Cycling