Here comes the Shark who, on the rise of Risoul, in France, reminds everyone, with a feat from other times, that in these parts only two years ago it was Roi Nibali, in the yellow jersey, absolute master of the Tour, who yesterday he went on the hunt for the pink jersey, winning the stage big and reopening a Giro that for a week, from the inauspicious uphill time trial on the Alpe di Siusi, had inexorably relegated him among the beaten, now out of the running.
Nibali also did not conquer the pink jersey, which passed from the shoulders of the unfortunate Krujiswjick – who crashed in the Passo dell'Agnello descent – to those of the Colombian Esteban Chaves, but after yesterday's feat he jumped to second place in the standings at just 43” from the Hummingbird. Lo Squalo has put the Giro back in his sights. Today the definitive sentence is entrusted to another ride through three legendary hills, the Vars, the Bonette and the Lombarda, with altitudes over 2500 first, before the ascent to the finish line of Sant'Anna di Vinadio. Another battle is announced in the sign of Nibali returned the Shark when there were too many to give it up, forgetting the innate pride that animates the Sicilian champion.
Risoul's liberating cry, once he got off his bike, was the humane outpouring of a champion who has never suffered criticism and humiliation as in this week as if he had taken the avenue of sunset. They were also too disappointed at Astana, where there was even talk of a possible retirement, not to raise some doubts that under the ashes of resignation they were preparing for the great resurrection. “Let's wait for the big mountains and we'll see”. Nibali had said sibylline on the eve of the two big stages where the gaps would no longer be counted in seconds but in minutes. And the Shark, taking all the owls by surprise, made a vacuum by overturning the ranking in his favor. To give him a hand - to him but also to Chaves - was also the fate that yesterday besieged Krujiswjick, who had shown no signs of giving up as he crested the Lamb wrapped in fog and covered in snow together with Nibali and Chaves. A malicious skid in the first part of the descent caused him to catapult against the frozen snow on the roadside. The dazed pink jersey gets up but the bike is broken. It restarts after fixing it in some way but still has to stop to change it.
The Dutchman throws himself headlong into the pursuit, with the courage of someone who doesn't want to see a fairy tale fade but understands that the Giro is eluding him. He is also joined by Valverde who had gone into a bit of a crisis on the endless ramps of the Agnello, evidently suffering from the altitude when going beyond 2500 metres. Up front Nibali and Chaves are impregnable. The Italian also finds the comfort of Michele Scarponi, who was the first to tame the Cima Coppi and who, given the advantage, could even have won the stage if he hadn't been stopped by the Astana flagship to wait for the unleashed Squalo who for enchantment had found legs, rhythm and mood. At stake was winning the Giro.
And on the climb to Risoul also the climber Chaves, the Hummingbird of Colombia, has to surrender to the superiority of Roi Nibali, who crosses the finish line alone with his arms raised to the sky to remember his very young pupil, Rosario Costa, who died in training on 15 May. The seconds count starts. Chaves arrives at 53” also preceded by Mikel Nieve who blows him the bonus of 6” but will find the pink jersey he had already worn for one day, winning in Corvara. Fourth comes the surprising Diego Ulissi, a talented rider who in this Giro has found himself improving his performance uphill a lot. We have to wait 2'14” to see Alejandro Valverde at the finish line with Majka and Uran: the Spaniard put grit and anger into it but comes out defeated in the stage, also losing the podium and slipping to fourth place 1'48” behind Chaves. Krujiswick, who fought alone against everyone and bad luck, arrives 16th at 4'54”: the pink jersey is lost but the Dutchman still remains in the standings, third at 1'05” from Chaves and 21” from Nibali. Among the big names in the standings, the Russian Zakarin did not arrive at the finish line, dramatically ending up off the road in a stream on the Agnello descent: a lot of fear, a broken collarbone and goodbye to the pink race.
The Giro, which seemed closed in the Dolomites, reopened in France announcing a spectacular challenge to the last pedal stroke in the 134 km of the penultimate stage, short but terrible for the difference in height to climb. A direct duel between Nibali and Chaves, but which doesn't exclude Krujiswjick himself who, despite his defeat yesterday too, proved his worth. More problematic, in the light of what we saw yesterday, is Valverde returning to the game, but the Murciano is one of those who never give up.
