After winning the mountains classification at Tirreno-Adriatico in March, Diego Sevilla is the first Maglia Azzurra of the 109th Giro d’Italia: the cornerstone of the Fundación Alberto Contador project was the first to attack after the official start on the Black Sea, beat his breakaway companion on both passages at Cape Agalina and is therefore the KOM leader!
The leading duo was caught with 22 kilometers to go: there the sprint build-up began. With 600 meters to the finish, Giovanni Lonardi managed to avoid a major crash and stayed in the small group contesting the win: behind stage winner Magnier (Soudal) the Team Polti VisitMalta rider finished 6th.
Sevilla: “We started with the awareness that, in the first week, taking the Maglia Azzurra was a real possibility, so I raced with that in mind. I know Tarozzi’s qualities well and I found the right moment to anticipate him over the top. Thanks also to the bonus seconds taken at the intermediate sprint, I’m 5th in the first GC of this Giro. I know that to keep this jersey until the end you need to be more of a climber than I am, but we are here to attack and we’ll do it every time we can!”
Lonardi: “I’m happy to open my Giro with a top-10 after the crash that forced me to withdraw in Turkey. I knew the finale would be chaotic and I needed to stay up front. With my positioning and Mirco Maestri’s help, I managed it. There will be more opportunities to improve the result.”
Sports director Giovanni Ellena: “The plan was to go on the offensive, take the lead in the KOM classification right away, and secure a good result with our sprinter. Considering that, in addition to achieving our goals, Maestri was only partially involved in the crash and came away unharmed, it’s a satisfying day and hopefully the first of many!”
