The three-week battle for the Trofeo Senzafine has finally begun photo: RCS Sport
The starting point is full of the appearance of Tadej Pogačar (Slovakia, Emirates Team UAE) photo: RCS Sport
Giro d’Italia 2024 Stage 1 Course Profile photo: RCS Sport
The 107th Giro d’Italia will open with a hilly stage that includes a second stage mountain, a rarity in recent years. The course is 140km long, starting from the Venaria Reale palace on the outskirts of Turin in Piedmont, north-west Italy, and heading south through the mountains before finishing in Turin.
Along the way, there are three mountain categories: 4th, 3rd, and 2nd class, and the second last class, Colle Maddalena, with a climbing distance of 6.1 km and an average gradient of 7.4%, producing sprinters . The main point of this stage was intended to be a hill with a maximum gradient of 16% (distance 1.4km / average 9.8km) starting from the remaining 4.3km point, established by Simon Yates (UK , not participating in the main competition) in the 2022 race%). The first person to cross the finish line wins the first day and the Maria Rosa.
Athletes start at Venaria Reale on the outskirts of Turin photo: RCS Sport
Six people, Lilian Calmégane (France, Intermarche Wanty), formed an escape group. photo: RCS Sport
On a sunny day with a temperature of 19 degrees Celsius, 176 riders started, led by the first trainer Tadej Pogačar (Slovakia, Emirates Team UAE) and local Italian road champion Simone Velasco (Astana Kazakstan). Immediately after the race organizers sent out the flag, the attack began, and after only 10km a group of six, including Lilian Calmégane (France, Intermarche Wanty) formed.
The main group running them is Team Emirates UAE who are targeting Maria Rosa in Pogacar and are setting the pace. Filippo Fiorelli (Italy, VF Group Baldiani CSF Faisane) passed first in the mountain section (stage 4), appearing on the first day of the Giro for the first time in 29 years. Fiorelli, who finished 3rd in the final stage of last year’s race, passed the intermediate sprint in first place, with the peloton still led by 35-year-old veteran Vegarstarke Laengen ( Norway, Emirates Team UAE).
Team Emirates UAE dominated the peloton from start to finish. photo: CorVos
The players went next in Superga, famous for the “Superga Tragedy”, which happened 75 years ago in 1949, when a plane carrying players from the football club “AC Torino” crashed. Afterwards, Calmégane and Amanuel Gebreig Xavier (Riddle Trek, Eritrea) managed to climb the mountain of the third class with a lead of 2 minutes and 15 seconds.
Calmianine and Gebreig Xavier ran away and they were two. photo: CorVos
Geraint Thomas (England, Ineos Grenadiers) aims to avenge his 2nd overall finish last time out photo: RCS Sport
Calmégane and Gebreig Xavier, who are aiming for a category win at the Giro after the Tour de France and Vuelta a España, have increased their lead over the peloton to two and a half minutes. Calmégane passed the Inter Giro with 35.3km remaining. Anyway, the Inter Giro is an intermediate sprint in which bonus time (-3 seconds maximum) and points are awarded to the first three riders, and although there is no jersey, he deserves awards like the Bravery Award and the Great Escape Award.
At the Inter Giro, two riders chasing the leaders passed 3rd and 4th, and at the Proton, a sprint began for 5th place. Here, Jonathan Millan (Italy, Riddle Trek), Mariachi Clamino last year (points award), beat Kaden Groves (Alpecin Deceuninck, Austria) and Danny Van Poppel (Bora-Hansgrohe, Netherlands) Get 4 points. As the peloton entered the hill just before the hill of the second stage, the European champion Christophe Laporte (France, Visma-Lies-A-Bike) and other sprinters fell behind the high speed of the UAE.
Once they passed the finish line, both runners entered the second class Colle Maddalena (distance 6.1km / average 7.4%). The UAE began to lead the Proton at high speed, trailing them by a difference of 1 minute and 20 seconds. The lead was taken over by Mikkel Bjorg (Denmark), followed by Felix Grossschaertner (Austria) and Rafał Majka (Poland), and with this speed, Teimen Arensman (Netherlands, Ineos Grenadiers), placed 6th in last year’s competition. over the lead.
Team UAE Emirates quickly picks up speed in the mountains and reduces the size of the group. photo: RCS Sport
In addition, Romain Bardet (France, DSM Firmenich Post NL) and Maria Bianca (Young Rider Award) Luke Prapp (Australia, Jayco Aloullah) fell behind the pack, and the top players lost their overall time from the first day in particular. With this in mind, Calmégane was the first to pass the second class mountain, earning him the right to wear the Maria Azzurra (mountain award).
After crossing the Class 2 mountain, Maximilian Schaffmann (Germany, Bora-Hansgrohe) jumped out of the peloton, which was reduced to around 40 riders with 16km remaining. Together with Mikkelfreirik Honoré (Denmark, EF Education Easy Post) and Damiano Caruso (Italy, Bahrain Victorious), a group of seven formed a chase group and caught Carmelliane with 10km remaining. Then, in the intermediate sprint with bonus time, Caruso overtook the lead and won -3 seconds.
Tadej Pogačar (Slovakia, Emirates Team UAE) on the mountain before the finish photo: RCS Sport
Nicola Conci (Italy, Alpecin-Deceuninck) took the upper hand in a maximum average climb of 9.8% (16%), which starts with 4.3km remaining, after jumping out just before the climb Finally Pogačar made a move in the peloton, which entered the climb 50 seconds behind Conti and 20 seconds behind Caruso’s group.
His rivals were separated by Pogačar, who climbed at a speed similar to an arrow, with Jonathan Narváez (Ecuador, Ineos Grenadiers) being the only one to make a difference. Pogačar passed Caruso and the others, caught Conti, and passed the top of the mountain in front of him while maintaining a high speed. However, he was unable to cut through Narváez on the climb and allowed Maximilian Schaffmann (Germany, Bora-Hansgrohe) to join him on the descent.
The first day of the 2024 Giro will be a three-man sprint race. Pogačar went into the final straight with Pogačar in the lead, while Shafman, who was in last place, started the race in the lead. When Pogačar saw this, he sat up, but Narváez, who was the last to start his sprint and the last to judge the time, won the race.
The battle will be a three-way sprint between Pogacar, Narváez, and Shafman. photo: CorVos
Jonathan Narváez (Ecuador, Ineos Grenadiers) won the sprint photo: CorVos
Ecuadorian champion Narváez followed Pogacar’s attack and won the three-way battle. “It’s a good feeling. I knew for a month that this level was suitable for me, so I prepared for this day and I was able to beat the best in the world (Pogacar) hit the climb. “It was very difficult, but that gave him a special effect,” said Narváez. At the awards ceremony, he was wearing the Maria Rosa for the first time in his career. laughing and shaking his spumante.
Schaffman, who kept pushing until the end, took second place in the division, and said after the race, “When I couldn’t shake Narváez on the climb, I knew it was going to be difficult to win a sprint stronger than me,” he said after the race.
Alex Bourdin (France, Decathlon AG2R La Mondial), who was behind alone, was 6 seconds behind, while the Proton finished 10 seconds behind.
Jonathan Narváez (Ecuador, Ineos Grenadiers) won the first day and was wearing the Maria Rosa. photo: CorVos
2024-05-05 00:15:00
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