Sunday May 30th 2021
Resurrection at the 104th Giro
Bernal is rewarded after the battles
Two years ago, the young Colombian Bernal won the Tour de France – and then fell into a hole. The 24-year-old has now impressively freed himself from this. After a great fight, he wins the Tour of Italy. Germans do not play a role after the more than 20 stages.
The Colombian cycling star Egan Bernal has won the 104th Giro d’Italia and thus celebrated his second victory in a major tour after the Tour de France 2019. In the final time trial to Milan, a 24-year-old place was enough to claim the pink jersey with 1:29 minutes ahead of the Italian Damiano Caruso.
Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), who after his tour victory up to the Giro did not cross the finish line in any major tour and was deeply in crisis last year, is the second Colombian Giro winner after Nairo Quintana 2014. Third overall behind Caruso (Bahrain Victorious ) became the Briton Simon Yates (BikeExchange / + 4:15).
“You have to suffer if you want to win something”
Bernal took over the pink jersey on the ninth stage and then defended it several times with great fights. He swayed at the mountain arrival of Sega di Ala. He wobbled on Friday on the final ascent of Alpe di Mera. Yesterday, Saturday, he staggered in the final battle of the heights when Caruso attacked in Switzerland 55 kilometers from the finish.
But Bernal did not fall – also because compatriot, friend and teammate Daniel Martinez supported him. In the end he started the 30.3 km time trial with a 1:59 minute lead. On the day 17. Caruso lost to Bernal half a minute there without the very big risk.
In the end he had fought down all the doubts that accompanied him and ate in him. On stage eleven, when he survived 35 kilometers of the unpopular Tuscan gravel roads. When you win the king’s stage in the Dolomites, bitterly cold and soaked. “You have to suffer if you want to win something today,” he said.
World champion wins time trial
In the end, Bernal’s team-mate Filippo Ganna won the stage, the Italian time trial world champion prevailed with 12.1 seconds ahead of the French Remi Cavagna (Deceuninck-Quick Step). Bernal was 1:53 minutes behind. The best German was Max Walscheid (Neuwied / Qhubeka) on a strong sixth place (+0: 33 minutes).
For the German professional cyclists, the Giro was mixed. Podium candidate Emanuel Buchmann (Ravensburg / Bora-hansgrohe) retired after a fall on the 15th stage, outlier Nikias Arndt (Buchholz / DSM) impressed with two third stage places. Former world champion Peter Sagan (Slovakia) secured a stage win and the points jersey for the German Bora team.
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