Which didn't please the sprinters. Several complained, like Phil Bauhaus, third, not finding it wise to add danger. Tadej Pogacar certainly recognized the finale, because, unlike in recent days, he remained very calm in the peloton and did not try anything on the climb to Capo Mele. “It would have been too dangerous, he mentioned. “I didn’t take any risks: once at the top, I just looked at the chaos in front of me from afar.”
A chaos fortunately without fall, while the start of the day had been marked by messes, in the rain, including the two from Biniam Girmay which precipitated the abandonment of the Eritrean runner. “But it was still super dangerous, breathes Tim Merlier, the winner of Monday's stage. “I didn't win, but I want to say that I'm just happy to still be alive… Two runners were shoulder to shoulder right in front of me. For the same price, I found myself on the other side of the barriers… Then, I knew how to get back to the front.”
Cian Uijtdebroeks took a bonus second
Before making a big effort to almost follow in the wake of Olav Kooij and Jonathan Milan. But, alone in the wind, he had to sit down again as the Italian flew towards a new day of glory.
”Winning at the Giro means a lot to mesays, radiantly, the one who had already won a stage last year. Even more so with the solid field of sprinters on this edition. I take the leader's jersey in the points classification (he won it in 2023)but it is still too early to think about keeping it until the end, because there are many rivals: Merlier, Groves, Bauhaus, Ewan…”
For his part, Cian Uijtdebroeks kept his white jersey as best young person. And he reinforced it by grabbing a second of bonuses in an intermediate sprint, gleaning a place in the general classification. This Wednesday, time for the fifth stage planned between Genoa and Lucca, the birthplace of a certain Mario Cipollini: it can only end in a sprint!
