The Spaniard involved in a tumble 3.300 meters from the finish: he took advantage of it Aru to snatch the lead from him with a 19” lead. Porte also falls, accusing another two minutes of delay. The stage was won by Modolo: it is his first success in the Giro. Today the awaited maxi-time trial of 60km in Valdobbiadene
It is said that bad luck is blind. But Counter and especially Richie porte they are beginning to no longer believe her to be such, so much is she targeting them in this Giro. A fall in the center of the peloton when there were just 300 meters to go from the canonical 3 km from the finish line where neutralization is in force causes a change in the standings, giving away the pink jersey to Fabio Aru, the first Sardinian in the history of the Giro to wear it.
Contador, leg and shoulder put to the test again, in the pit of wheels and legs on the ground, was quick to get the bike from Tosatto, his coéquipier, thus managing to contain the damage by crossing the finish line 36” after Aru ma lost the symbol of primacy. Porte, also involved in the tumult, now in the throes of a bad depressive syndrome, practically abdicated the Giro, pedaling resignedly until he was another 2 minutes late.
At Team Sky, Porte seems to be reliving the same odyssey experienced in Wiggins' time in the 2013 Giro, the one won by Nibali with the baronet, who started as the super favorite and soon ended up in a state of confusion due to falls and the cold. Contador, on the other hand, did not abdicate, who was right when the other day he called incompetent those who already saw him with the Giro in his pocket.
El Pistolero, having lost the jersey, has however not lost faith, "even if taking back those seconds, he commented hotly after the race, will cost me an effort". The opportunity to regain the pink jersey is offered today by the almost 60 km time trial in Valdobbiadene. Contador is not the favorite of the stage: Uran, Zakarin and Porte himself, if he emerges from despondency, are the most popular names for victory, but the Spaniard - provided that yesterday's crash has left no traces - should earn more than the 19 ” who now divide him from Aru in the pink jersey.
An Aru, who after two days in which he seemed weighed down by fatigue, finds that youthful enthusiasm which is his best propellant with the primacy in the standings. Ideal for doing well in the time trial. As leader of the ranking he has the advantage of starting last: psychological, of not being able to be caught up by Contador; real, to know the exact pace of his main opponent.
Having said that, however, nobody likes the fact that the Giro has so far been decided more by injuries – tumbles but also fatal punctures like the one in Porte a Forlì – than by individual companies. Falls, it's true, are an integral part of cycling. Every descent is a risk, but a flat stage like yesterday's is perhaps even more risky, with the peloton racing at over 50 km per hour and with the teams looking for the right trajectories for the sprinters to sprint. He knows something about risks, being the man-sprinter of Lampre-Merida too Sacha Modolo, who in his fifth participation finally took his first victory by burning Nizzolo, Viviani and another ten riders including – sorry if it's not enough – André Greipel and Michael Matthews.
