Between two parties, the third gains. And to enjoy, under the finish line of the Giro d'Italia on the seafront of Naples, is the Danish Mads Pedersen who solves a stage in the sprint - the sixth of the Corsa rosa - characterized by a breakaway started on the fifth of the 162 km of the route starring the Alessandro De Marchi and Australian Simon Clarke.
Their plan for a two-man sprint ends 400 meters from the finish when, exhausted, they are caught up in the peloton. Under the via Caracciolo banner, Pedersen precedes the blue Milan and the German Ackermann. Nothing changes in the general classification where the Norwegian Leknessund (Team DSM) precedes the Belgian Evenepoel by 28 seconds and the French Paret-Peintre by 30. "I didn't think we'd catch them again - the winner explained at the end of the race, almost surprised - but we did it at the end of a difficult stage. It was a tough sprint, it went well".
The Giro celebrates Naples - still dressed up for the Scudetto - for the 46th time in its history, the second in a row after last year's success in terms of image and ratings. The 162 km route is a ring with departure and arrival in the capital and two mountain grand prix, the most important at 650 meters of the Chiunzi pass, which opens the doors to the pearls of the Amalfi Coast and the Sorrento Peninsula. Great beauty and a lot of public along the streets. At the start in Piazza del Plebiscito the riders compete to pay homage to Spalletti's team.
Filippo Ganna does it, flaunting a blue scarf and also the Evenepoel rainbow shirt, a past as a footballer, who dribbles with a blue-and-white ball. The participation of the Belgian from QuickStep was in doubt after yesterday's double crash, one due to a dog crossing and the other -3 from the finish line after hitting Trek's Kirsch and Pedersen. In the second, the Belgian suffered a hematoma on his right side. After a peaceful night, in the morning the last checks and the green light from the doctors even if the back pains remain and the conditions will have to be monitored especially in view of the climbs in the next few days. "Too many stray dogs in the South, it's a problem, it seems to be in Colombia" attacks the Quick-Step Lefevere team manager instead. The former Olympic champion Paolo Bettini replied: "It happens everywhere, even in France or Spain, they are the pitfalls of a race like the Giro". We set off and it was immediately a five-man break with De Marchi and Gavazzi joined by Clark, Quarterman and Delettre. The advantage over the group reaches 5 minutes. The five fugitives become two, Clarke and De Marchi, near Sorrento, 55 km from the finish with the group delayed by 2'30".
The pink jersey Leknessund checks in the first positions and plays the charge. With 20 km to go, the advantage is still two minutes which becomes one when there are 10 to go. Clarke and De Marchi take turns, they see the finish line one step away and they seem to be able to do it but their dream fades 400 meters from the finish . Gaviria launches the sprint but then stalls and Pedersen does not miss the awaited victory. Tomorrow, with the seventh stage, from Capua to Gran Sasso, with the finish above 2000 meters, the big climbs arrive. For some, the Giro, the real one, starts tomorrow.
