Despite a continuous risk of crosswinds on the entirely flat eleventh stage of the Giro d’Italia (2.UWT), a compact peloton sprinted for the victory in the streets of Reggio Emilia this Wednesday.
The presence of the wind led to a lot of nervousness in the peloton, where the riders of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux stayed united around its climbers Domenico Pozzovivo and Jan Hirt to enable them to reach the finish without incidents nor time loss.
At the end of the 203 kilometer stage, the seven riders of the Belgian World Team succeeded their mission, Pozzovivo and Hirt remain in eighth and fourteenth position in the provisional classification.
« It was a nervous day for the peloton as the wind was blowing so our riders stayed united. They succeeded in protecting Domenico Pozzovivo and Jan Hirt from danger so they could cross the finish line of this transition stage without time loss. In contrary to today, I see an opportunity for breakaways in the next two days and we are determined to show our characteristic agressive race style. I’m thinking about Lorenzo Rota or Loïc Vliegen, who can be in the mix with the best riders in the finals of hilly stages. The twelfth stage suits them and as we’ve learned during the first week, the pure sprinters are having difficulties to follow in the hilly stages. So I’m optimistic about their chances. »
