Published on : 05/08/2022
The riders will leave Hungary tomorrow morning after three stages. On Sunday, Simone Consonni finished 7th in the bunch sprint in Balatonfüred. After a day of transfer, the first big explanation of this Giro will take place on the slopes of Mount Etna on Tuesday.
The Hungarian triptych ended this Sunday with the longest stage of this Giro with 201 km to ride between Kaposvar and Balatonfüred. This was an opportunity to discover Lake Balatan, the largest body of fresh water in Central Europe, which is home to Hungary's seaside resorts.
After a time trial, the day did not present any major difficulties, even if it was necessary to be vigilant, as always, to avoid falls. The few drops of rain that fell on the course did not change anything. As the finish line approached, the sprinters' teams were in action. Simone Consonni, the team's sprinter, tried to get into the fight, but ended up in 7th place, a few lengths behind the winner, Mark Cavendish.
A transfer to Sicily and a big logistical challenge
From now on, the entire Giro caravan will be heading almost 2,000 km south. It is from Sicily that the Giro d'Italia continues. To get there, the riders will fly in on Monday, while another part of the staff will be waiting for them when they arrive. They will have to take care of themselves and recover well. On Tuesday, one of the queen stages is on the program with a final finish at the top of Mount Etna. Guillaume Martin has prepared himself with determination: the leader of the Nordic team climbed this pass fifteen times during a training session in April in order to be as efficient as possible during this fourth stage.
THEY SAID
Guillaume Martin: "It was a long stage today where there were no traps. The only trap that could have happened was a crash in the final and that was not the case, everyone in the peloton was pretty reasonable. It was really an easy stage, easier sometimes than a recovery ride in training. So I think everyone will arrive very fresh on Etna with the rest day tomorrow. I can't wait to get there for the first climber's meeting in this Giro."
Roberto Damiani, Sports Director: "The main thing today was that there were no problems to report for the whole team. Simone did a very good sprint. He was a little bit alone in the final and a little bit bothered by one of the Alpecin Fenix launchers and could not pedal in the last 50 meters. Now we're going to Italy with Etna in our sights starting Tuesday."