From the start of this 107th edition of the Tour of Italy, Intermarché-Wanty conquers a jersey thanks to Lilian Calmejane, who’s leading the mountain classification after the first stage this Saturday 4 May.
Accompanied by five other riders shortly after the flag went down, Calmejane managed his efforts during this 140 kilometer stage between Venaria Reale and Turin, which included three categorised climbs: Berzano di San Pietro, the Superga and the Colle della Maddalena, with the summit of the latter within the final kilometres.
Calmejane’s breakaway gained a maximum lead of four minutes over the peloton, with the GC contenders determined to compete for the victory in this inaugural stage. After scoring two points at the top of Superga, Calmejane continued in a duo with Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier with around 50 kilometers to go. And although the lead decreased under a minute at the foot of Colle della Maddalena, Calmejane held on, and crossed the summit first to score eighteen points.
The Frenchman even managed to resist at the front of the race until the last 10 kilometers. With a total of 20 points in the mountain classification, he conquered the blue jersey, a first time for the Walloon World Team in the Giro.
“My goal in this breakaway today was to get as far as possible in the final. The collaboration with Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier was good, because we shared the same intention. When we still had a lead of almost four minutes with 40 kilometers to go, I believed it was possible to survive for a long time and join the best riders in the peloton in the final. I gave everything on Colle della Maddalena, because I knew that the first one on top would conquer the mountain jersey. I never thought about the stage win because my lead at the top was too small. If the cooperation in the group that caught me in the last 10 kilometers would have been better, eighth place would have been the best possible result. My performance today confirms the good feelings of recent weeks in racing and training. This mountain jersey is a fantastic start and brings hope for the rest of the Giro. I want to show a lot of great things and who knows, maybe realise my dream of winning a stage and completing the trilogy."
