Quintana puts his seal on this Giro, Aru on that of the future. The Monte Grappa timed uphill sentence is definitive even if today's Zoncolan is still missing. The gaps that the Colombian in the pink jersey and the young Sardinian from Astana have foisted on all the others are irremediable chasms. The Giro has now found its master from the Colombian Andes who repaid him yesterday with a victory that gives further depth to his pink jersey. Born Grimpeur, Quintana found only in Aru the only rival who fought against him for success right up to the end.
The Movistar leader confirmed the predictions that gave him the super favorite on the eve of the Giro, but it is Aru who has surpassed all expectations: a concentration of grit, strength and youth who lit up the Giro electrifying day after day. Impressive the ease with which the Sardinian, on the toughest final stretch of the ascent to the mountain that recalls the Great War, caught up with and ditched Rafal Maika who had set off three minutes before him. His final hairpin bends were an explosion of energy: at the finish he set a time 1'40” lower than Rolland and over two minutes better than Pozzovivo. A performance that, coming after the exploit of Montecampione and the peremptory stretch on the Panarotta Refuge, gives the dimension of the value of this rider who at the beginning of the season was a simple follower of Nibali and Scarponi.
Aru also came close to winning yesterday's time trial as well as after him Rigoberto Uran, expected at the last call to return to the squad, set a time 1'09” higher than the Sardinian. All that was missing was Quintana who, having learned of Aru's exceptional time, began to twirl his legs, getting up on the pedals every now and then, amidst a waving of Colombian flags. At stake were a handful of seconds between him and Aru on the day in which Kelderma and Evans fell behind by more than 4 minutes and Hesjedal by more than 5. While awaiting the arrival of the pink jersey, the first accounts of the earthquake were already being made taking place on top of Monte Grappa. Aru had leapfrogged Rolland by nearly two minutes to secure third place and was just 41 seconds behind second-placed Uran.
For 17 seconds Quintana blew the victory away from him, silencing any controversy about the legitimacy of his leadership. He's the strongest of the lot, one who if he improves on pace in the time trials, can compete on par with the big names in stage racing, threatening the supremacy of Froome, Contador and Nibali. Aru is also on the right track, an authentic asset of Italian cycling that is expected today on the Zoncolan at the last climb: that of undermining Uran from second place, perhaps dueling with Quintana for the stage win. These are the last fires of a Giro that seemed to reserve little for the blue pedal and which instead gives him the probable champion of the near future.
