Since being promoted to Blockhaus almost a week ago, there are fewer contenders for victory in a Giro that seems to have fallen asleep in just a few seconds due to bonuses, without attacks and without the general moving.

This Saturday, everything should change with the arrival of the Turin sports center and the Alps knocking on the door. Romain Bardet, who retired this Friday, is even less so as Juanpe López is a crucial contender for the ‘pink jersey’, which he continues to parade proudly and without too many problems as his opponents lack decisive attacks.

bardet Left with an intestinal virus, he is one of those who fell this year due to the vomiting and feverish conditions that plagued the platoon after covid pulled from the frontline of the war. And it was the year that the French driver, with two podium finishes on the Tour, reinvented the joy of fighting for an overall classification. With 31 years, bardet was only 14 seconds away Juanpe but only two of Richard Carapaz, whose withdrawal saw a very serious competitor threaten to walk away. Now, he basically has to be aware of Mikel Landa, who is the only person next to him. bardet the one he started in this Giro, who resisted it in his single attack, albeit a little timidly.

open horizons

And this is the withdrawal bardet open more horizons landAt a time when now or never seems to be the last chance for the Álava cyclist. together now karapazLast day in Verona, Portuguese only, with almost all, mountain on the horizon and only 20km toll as main obstacle he helped win the Giro when he ran for Movistar in 2019 Joao Almeida He overwhelmingly outlasts the Basque runner if he plays for ultimate victory in the streets of Romeo and Juliet.

This Saturday will likely be the last day of the race for Mathieu van der Poel, the big showman of the first stage of the Giro. He has little to do in the high mountains and with many options for wearing yellow for the first week, the Tour is approaching. Turin also has an airport. A little more to add.

The 13th stage was resolved again with the usual letters of this second week. There was a run-in and some fence was played as the fugitives were neutralized just 700 meters from the finish line. Sprint was another festival for French runner Arnaud Démarethough he may have achieved his third partial victory, he will certainly come to an end by fighting for the regularity of the Giro.

fireproof

Juanpe López will conduct his first shooting test of the week this Saturday to confirm that he is the leader of the race. walkyour team, a new discharge It will fit like a glove. The truth is that the Sevillian rider has little income to keep the dream alive in the pink as soon as serious difficulties arise with the expected attacks of the main favourites, which they failed to do this week due to a lack of solid ground. to actualize.

From now on, Giro Juanpe The 28th is on a sort of mountain that one has to start climbing before reaching the top of Marmolada on Saturday. And no one will have a second thought because many days of competition were wasted until he left the Giro in almost a week’s worth of racing, something that needs to be fixed urgently as this is not the first time. In Turin, the party should really begin.