Giro d’Italia, the 7th stage: Ewan wins, Attila Valter pink jersey

The Australian still in front of everyone after Cattolica’s victory. The Colombian anticipates too early and crashes. On the podium also Cimolai and Merlier

The Australian Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal team) does an encore and, after winning two days ago in Cattolica, also triumphs in the seventh stage of the Giro d’Italia, the 181 km Notaresco-Termoli. Net success (fifth career in the Corsa Rosa), with a large advantage over Cimolai and after having recovered and jumped at less than 150 meters with extreme ease, the Colombian Gaviria started too far in advance. In the overall standings all unchanged, with the Hungarian Attila Valter (Groupama FdJ) in the pink jersey, with 11 ” ahead of the Belgian Evenepoel and 16 ” over the Colombian Bernal.

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Three on the run

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It starts with the news of Domenico Pozzovivo’s retirement, who must surrender after the fall in the first kilometers of the sixth stage Frasassi Caves-Ascoli Piceno. Three of them immediately take the lead, namely Pellaud, Mark Christian and Umberto Marengo, with the Swiss rider from Androni-Sidermarc and the blue from Bardiani. The group – constantly pulled by Caleb Ewan’s Lotto Soudal, Gaviria’s UAE Team Emirates and Nizzolo’s Qhubeka Team – lets them go keeping their gap constantly under 3 ‘once the first and only GP of the day has passed, that of Chieti at km 62 (to win it is Pellaud).

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Sagan’s warning

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A lot of movement instead at the first flying finish line of Crecchio: to win it is Marengo, but behind the three on the run is Sagan, which thus warns the other sprinters with a view to the final sprint. The three-time world champion takes advantage of the action of his teammate Daniel Oss, able to take advantage of a downhill stretch to break away from the group and thus help the Slovakian to take home 5 precious points for the cyclamen jersey. The escape of Pellaud, Christian and Marengo also continues along the Adriatic coast, with the Italian who grants an encore and also makes the intermediate of Fossacesia Marina his own (km 125.5). The group manages to perfection, its comeback continues inexorably (1 ‘delay at -40 km). Small unexpected event for Tim Merlier, victim of an intestinal problem and forced to stop before leaving escorted by Oscar Riesebeek. The platoon lashes the definitive acceleration at 30 km from the finish, with Pellaud, Christian and Marengo only 30 ” away.

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The final tear

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Everyone knows that the victory will be decided once you leave the coastal road, in that stretch of 200 meters with peaks at 12% in the last 2 km before the finish in Termoli. 20 kilometers from the finish line breakaway and a group again compact. The sprinter teams take a position at the head of the group: there are Viviani’s Cofidis, Gaviria’s UAE, Ewan’s Lotto as well as Groenewegen’s Jumbo Visma and Cimolai’s Israel. Then obviously also Sagan’s Bora and Fiorelli’s Bardiani. Gaviria tries to anticipate the sprint, but starts too early, at -500 meters. He crashes and at that point Ewan – who also takes the cyclamen jersey – passes it at triple speed, in front of Cimolai and Merlier.

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