Today's ascent to Piancavallo and tomorrow's Monte Grappa remain to divide Tom Dumoulin from realizing his pink dream, a challenge that seemed almost crazy launched in the euphoria of success in the Sagrantino time trial that went on day after day affirming with the feat of Oropa, the stoic defense in the big stage of the double Stelvio and the ridiculous ease with which the Dutchman kept Quintana and Nibali at bay yesterday on the legendary Dolomite passes.
The sentence issued in Ortisiei will not yet be the definitive one of the Cassation of the Giro but it appears difficult to reform in the remaining stages: Dumoulin is the master of the Giro with three days to go. Also for the bookmakers who give it 1,40 against 4 for Quintana and 9 for Nibali.
The Quintana that was also seen yesterday appears to be a Condor drained of energy, two shots, the first in the middle of the Gardena Pass, the second in the hardest stretch of the Pontives, both exhausted in the space of a few minutes, without any others following as instead happened on the Blockhaus. Too little to worry Dumoulin.
Even Nibali has never managed to scare the pink jersey. The Dolomites waited in vain for the Condor and the Shark to set the Giro on fire. To do so, but after the race, it was Dumoulin himself who verbally attacked Nibali and Quintana, guilty of racing only against him without paying attention to the others, even when Pinot and Zakarin stretched.
“They deserve to lose the podium as well”, the bold Dutchman in the pink jersey went on to say. Open heavens: "He wants us to take him in a carriage to Milan and shake his hand too - replied Nibali furiously - Be careful not to lose him, the podium!".
Words of fire to which the hopes of those who do not want to resign themselves to the fact that the Giro is over in Ortisei cling. Quintana also knows he wasted another great opportunity to overturn the standings in his favor but doesn't wave the white flag: “We did everything possible but Tom defended himself brilliantly. Piancavallo, however, is a different stage. We'll try again."
Words spoken before becoming aware of the accusations launched by Dumoulin, who with the Giro almost in his pocket would have done well to spare himself, avoiding antagonizing the Squalo and the Condor who are still there behind him, one at 31" and the other at 1'12”, followed in turn by Thibaut Pinot (fourth at 1,36), Ilnur Zakarin (fifth at 1'58) and Pozzovivo (sixth at 2'07”).
Pinot, the Russian and the Lucan from Agr shortened their rankings thanks to a stretch in the final in view of the finish line in Ortisei, without Quintana and Nibali bothering to chase them. Hence the outburst of Dumoulin. The Czech Jan Hirt was also with them. The three were in turn being chased by Mollema, Zakarin, Yates and Kruijswijk. We were close – only 8 seconds behind – for Pinot and Pozzovivo to grab Teejay Van Garderen and Mikel Landa, authentic protagonists of the stage and the final two-man sprint.
The Bmc American won for the first time in a major stage race, putting an end to the anonymity of his Giro, which was always far from the front runners. Once again Landa, leader of the climbers classification, has to settle for second place as in Bormio, when Nibali beat him.
