With the main course, in the form of some spectacular last stages of the route, still to come, the second week of the Giro d’Italia has left a fairly clear general classification, reducing to five or six riders who will have options to compete for victory in this Pink Corsa. On this last day of rest it is time to analyze the conclusions that the Italian round has left us in the previous days.
Might of the Bora
The dominance and control of Ineos in the first week of the race was evident, however, it seems that the passing of days has considerably reduced the forces of the British team. Despite the fact that Carapaz dressed in pink in Turin, the scuffle that Bora made from a distance was fireworks, leaving the Ecuadorian completely alone while the German team exhibited itself on the climbs with Kelderman and Buchmann, domestiques of real luxury for Hindley. That numerical superiority can make Carapaz’s career bitter.
Hindley Reborn
Once the role of leader in the Bora group has been defined, it only remains to praise the figure of Jai Hindley. The Australian broke out in this race in 2020, when he was second to Tao Geoghegan, but since then his performance has been hidden in the shadows for nearly two years. That potential has awakened again in the race that saw him shine and as he has shown up to now in the high and medium mountains, he is Carapaz’s great rival in the fight for victory. In Blockhaus he knew how to suffer and ended up winning the stage with a great sprint, while in Turin he managed the effort well to catch Carapaz after the Ecuadorian’s attack and beat him hand in hand in the final meters. Apart from the Ecuadorian, they all seem a little step behind the Australian.
Last ticket for Landa or Almeida
The race can still take many turns in the final week, but if the second week has shown us anything, it is that, given the slight superiority of Carapaz and Hindley, the third step of the podium could be a fratricidal duel between Almeida and Landa, third and fourth of the general, respectively. The man from Alava has a 29″ disadvantage compared to the Portuguese, so he is forced to attack in order not only to recover that time, but also to open up enough time to arrive calmly at the Verona time trial with his options to climb to the box intact. He already lost a podium in the Tour (with Bardet) and another in the Giro (against Roglic) in the last time trial, for not having enough income. Will the third time be the charm?
Juanpe’s confirmation
As David Arroyo’s day was, due to the unexpected, this Giro will also be remembered for the figure of Juanpe López. The Sevillian lost the pink jersey after ten days of honorable defense in the Turin stage, but his perennial smile was still there. The reason? As he himself said, for the first time in his career he saw himself in a stage with the big favorites, fighting side by side. A sensation that excites the Spanish fan and fills him with confidence for future challenges. Only time will tell where his ceiling is, but at 24 years old he continues to progress in performance and in this Giro he has a large enough margin to finish a Grand Tour in the top ten for the first time.
‘Eternal-old’ glories
Despite the fact that we have seen little battle during 15 stages, it is still almost a miracle that two riders like Vincenzo Nibali and Domenico Pozzovivo, with the end of their careers just around the corner, are stuck in the ointment. El Tiburón did not have such high aspirations since he finished 7th in the 2020 Giro, while Pozzo has not finished a big one in the top ten since he was 5th in the Corsa Rosa in 2018. A second youth that maintains the illusion of the Italian fans while riders like Dainese, Oldani and Ciccone have achieved partial victories. Italy, very protagonist in ‘his career’.
‘Dont leave for tomorrow…
What you can do today’, goes the wise saying. And that is what is happening in this Giro with a route that, although it distributes opportunities for all types and profiles of rider, may not be well organized. Concentrating practically all the decisive days in the last week greatly conditions the battle in the previous two, which leaves a decaffeinated and unbalanced race until the last moment. More time trial kilometers and more high-mountain days spread over the first and second weeks could, among other things, keep the show alive throughout the Italian round. If not, the ‘roosters’ will continue to leave everything for tomorrow…
