Stage one is a 156 km ride from Lido di Camaiore to Lido di Camaiore. A sprinter’s thing like no other, ending with 86 pan-flat and straight kilometres along the seafront of Versilia.
All eyes are on the fast wheels – riders like Merlier, Ewan, Gaviria and Ballerini. There is one of them, however, who is not a pure sprinter. He is a little less and much more than that, at the same time. A rider who participates in bunch sprints, wins against the clock, and supports his captain along the climbs: Wout van Aert.
After surfing the wheels of Gaviria’s UAE Emirates, van Aert launches a perfectly timed dash to the line. There is nothing left for pure sprinters to do.
Van Aert also won the closing ITT in San Benedetto del Tronto, and hit three more podium placements.
What was his “worst” placement at the 2021 Tirreno-Adriatico?
