the one of respect – Observer

10/24/2020 World



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Bad weather, lots of rain, interrupted stage, protesting corridors, the organization promising that someone will pay the bill. In short, chaos. The 19th stage of the Giro that started in Morbegno Abbiategrasso was anything but the typical one that was taken with a quiet start and a group of fugitives leaving, having been stopped just at the eighth kilometer to be summed up in the middle, which is like saying with “Solo ”124.5 kilometers to start in Como to Asti with the corridors taking the team buses in this neutralized phase of the route. The Cycling Association supported the measure, the organizers wrinkled their noses at it, claiming that the hypothesis had been raised the day before, the soap opera promises to continue. One thing is certain: almost three weeks later and with the last climbs, the wear is too evident, even for what happened the day before in Stelvio.

The rose fell, Pantera remained, there is history in sight: João loses the leadership, continues fighting for the podium but Rúben has almost guaranteed blue

If in the final results what remained was João Almeida’s seventh place in the stage and the descent to fifth place in the general classification, there were other points that show even better what happened in the queen stage of the Volta a Itália. For example, this was the fastest climb to the most feared point in the Transalpina race, which gives further credit to the feat of Hindley and Geoghegan Hart but also to the possible resistance presented by the Portuguese, who became the first runner under 23 years of age. years to have leadership for 15 days. So between yesterday and today, the Deceuninck Quick-Step leader lost the pink jersey of first place, the white jersey of youth but won another shirt: respect. And from various spheres, including the organization itself, which has made an effort to highlight the Portuguese in the moments before the start of the stage.

Starting with one of the greatest among the greatest of the Giro, Vincenzo Nibali. The transalpine, far from the moment that would allow him to discuss the final victory, finished the stage the day before with the Portuguese, let him cross the finish line without competing for that seventh place and had a gesture of comfort upon arrival for all that João Almeida had already done it. “Today was certainly not a good day for me or for the pink jersey. But the important thing was that we gave everything. Good luck ”, wrote the Italian, former winner of Giro (2013 and 2016), Tour (2014) and Vuelta (2010). “We live in a moment of change of generations and there is little space for the old corridors,” he admitted to the press. Now Remco Evenepoel, considered the greatest promise in the world today who was out of the race due to injury, took to Twitter to congratulate the A-dos-Francos rider: “Hat João Almeida and Deceuninck. My hat is off to your courage and determination, champions! ”.

“My feelings weren’t that bad. I felt fatigue, which is normal, but the rivals were very strong. I’m happy with my performance, it was solid. You can’t be ‘super’ every day and today [ontem] they were really strong. I cried with emotion when I saw my family and some Portuguese cheering me on at the top of Stelvio… I was on the edge and I knew I couldn’t keep up. [dos adversários] to the top so I took my pace so I didn’t waste too much time. I am very happy and very proud of all the support from the Portuguese, as well as of the team’s work. I knew I was in a good time but then I did this… ”, João Almeida commented at the end of the queen stage of the Volta a Itália that it was also a party for the other Portuguese, Rúben Guerreiro, who has practically secured the blue jersey.

“In the last three days I had given priority to the mountain. As he had a step in his pocket … It is the dream of a great Volta. Better was almost impossible. I was already quite strong, tired, but I managed to take the first escapement and get some points. It was difficult to beat De Gendt. The stitches I had gave me some leeway and I kept thinking about the stage but with the effort, which came from the last few days … It was very big, I no longer have legs. Stelvio is to blow everything up, it is the hardest day, but on Saturday I want to give small leg and compete for a good place on the stage, ”said the Pegões à Lusa rider, before a party announced for Milan that will be historic for national cycling, since a Portuguese never won a classification in a grand Tour.

Dream day for national cycling: Rúben Guerreiro wins stage and João Almeida defends the leadership in the Giro

On this penultimate shot, which could have happened with many conversations to the mix on the squad between opponents and teammates, the story was written by the 14 runners of the breakaway who once won their space from the moment Bora stopped shooting. the pace to put Peter Sagan fighting for victory. Simon Pellaud, Josef Cerny, Victor Campenaerts, Sander Armée, Etienne van Empel, Albert Torres, Lachlan Morton, Jacopo Mosca, Giovanni Carboni, Nathan Haas, Marco Mathis, Iljo Keisse, Simon Clarke and Alex Dowsett advanced, Dowsett and Campenaerts still tried to flee but they were neutralized before the race of Josef Cerny, who was 40 seconds ahead of the pursuers and won. The victory of the Czech CCC ended a 17-second lead over Campenaerts, followed by the rest of the fugitives and the peloton after about 12 minutes, where all the first classified in the general classification were concentrated. João Almeida thus reaches fifth position on the penultimate stage, behind Kelderman, Hindley, Geoghegan Hart and Pello Bilbao.



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