Giro d'Italia

Miracle in Milan: the Norwegian Dversnes wins the flattest stage of the Giro d’Italia in a breakaway

Jessy Miller3 weeks ago3 weeks ago06 mins

The Giro returns to Milan, where it was born on May 13, 1909, and where, inevitably, always, Milan cries, Johnny Milan, the giant red-haired sprinter from Friuli who has only seen the rear wheel of the Frenchman Paul Magnier in the two previous volatas. Miracle in Milan. The flattest and fastest stage does not end in a sprint. A breakaway of four outcasts from the broken land without hope takes advantage of the peloton’s laziness, a miscalculation of more than 150 to whom no one says that four in a flat urban area, avenues of four kilometers, are not subtracted two minutes just like that. There were two Polti in the breakaway, and one Bardiani. Three Italians surpassed by Fredrik Lavik Dversnes, a 29-year-old Norwegian, a complete rider in the manner of the old ones — neither climbing, nor descending, nor flat, nor sprinting — who rides for Uno-X, the team of collective play.

If Milan does not regain morale, the Frenchman does wear again the cyclamen jersey that the tireless Jhonny Narváez had taken from him for a day.

Only thirsty, unrepentant tourists defy the horrible heat of the Duomo square, not a shadow, a Sunday in May, 32 degrees, at four in the afternoon, such a pleasant siesta. The most active Milanese seek the shadows of the tree-lined straight avenues like the dangerous tram tracks to see the Giro cyclists pass by at atomic speed, almost 60 on average, and the climbers, dropping off and cursing; most prefer to sit happily on the couch in front of the flat screen, snore a little, maybe meditate. The cyclists, they sweat, work, stir up, and some, the most curious and restless, think, and get angry.

After passing the Po Valley plain and the moment of the musicologist longing for the Stradella where the accordion was invented, the geographer recognizes in the race broadcast the mighty Ticino that the Giro will climb on Tuesday to its sources in the Swiss Alps in its return to the high mountains; from this river, before flowing into the Po that marks the border of the two Italies, engineers praise the Naviglio canal, which brings water and boats to Milan from Lake Maggiore.

So much water is almost carried on each of their trips by the domestiques returning to the peloton from the team car loaded with bidons, almost 10 each, and when Campenaerts multiplies his work, three water carrier trips in a few kilometers for the sweaty Visma boys with Vingegaard in pink, the others watch him and doubt. Will he also carry empty bidons? The doubt is legitimate. The commissaries have discovered that some cyclists urinate in bidons because on the city sidewalks it is not allowed or to avoid being fined for doing it on the gutters, where there are always spectators. Campenaerts, the best friend of the corsa leader, raised his hand and let it be known that yes, he was one of those who acted this way, but obviously, he did not then throw the bidon at the feet of the happy children on the road to take the jewel to his bathtub, but handed it to his director.

“It is the most hygienic and safe,” assures the tireless Belgian who also has time to get down to the red Citroën of the commissaries just at the moment when Enric Mas crashes into the barriers in a chicane and points to the Mallorcan to the judges saying: do you see the danger of this urban circuit through the large avenues of Milan, the poor asphalt, cracks, potholes in which our bikes bounce so much that the bidons fly off the support? Vingegaard and Ciccone, Milan’s road captain, then convey their concerns and the judges, moved, decide that it will make no sense to scare the riders who will not contest the sprint and set that valid times for the general classification will be taken when the bell announcing the last lap sounds as they pass the finish line on Corso Venezia, 16.3 kilometers from the original finish.

In their cars, some directors leaf through the profiles of the last six stages, three easy, three terrible, and subject their minds and hearts to the torture of Cornelian dilemmas. What to do in front of the Visma wall that condemns us to travel the mountain routes in line and ordered like Roman legions and sends cycling back to the tedious times of Froome and his Sky? Submit? Revolt? What to do on Tuesday in the mini alpine stage concentrated in Switzerland (113 kilometers, four hard climbs and finish in Carí), which, according to the wise Nibali, is the most suitable for a revolt? Or on Friday in the Dolomites of Belluno, Saturday in the double Piancavallo of Pantani, Landa and Friuli? Is the Giro over? Do we give it new blood, life? All eyes turn to the RedBull car, the team of the beloved Italian Giuli Pellizzari (sixth overall, 4m 22s behind) and the bland Australian and already pink winner, Jai Hindley (fifth, 3m 43s behind). Who is the leader? Will they be able to sacrifice one for the other’s slim chances? Will they prefer, already defeated, just to try that both finish the same but two places ahead, second and third? So far, the team has not opened its mouth. Perhaps the unexpected Milanese victory of Lavik Dversnes, against all logic, inspires them. Monday, rest.

General Classification

pos rider	Team	Time
1 Fredrik Dversnes	UXM	3h:03:18
2 Mirco Maestri	EOK	+00:00
3 Martin Marcellusi	GBF	+00:00
4 Mattia Bais	EOK	+00:00
5 Paul Magnier	SOQ	+00:57
6 Dylan Groenewegen	TDT	+00:57
7 Tobias Lund Andresen	DCD	+00:57
8 Ethan Vernon	NSN	+00:57
9 Paul Penhoet	CGF	+00:57
10 Luca Mozzato	TUD	+00:57

pos rider	Team	Time
1 Jonas Vingegaard Rasmussen	TVL	59h:12:56
2 Afonso Eulálio	TBV	+02:26
3 Felix Gall	DCD	+02:50
4 Thymen Arensman	IGD	+03:03
5 Jai Hindley	RBH	+03:43
6 Giulio Pellizzari	RBH	+04:22
7 Michael Storer	TUD	+04:46
8 Ben O’Connor	JAY	+05:22
9 Derek Gee	LTK	+05:41
10 Davide Piganzoli	TVL	+06:13