Pelayo Sánchez (Movistar) appears in society. He wins the sixth stage of the Giro d’Italia, no less, and he doesn’t believe it. Before crossing the finish line he is already shaking his head, this can’t be happening to me. He is Asturian, very Asturian, and although he is a reserved boy, he begins to speak in all languages out of excitement. If you ask him in Esperanto, he answers. He is a cyclist who they say likes to go at his own pace, but how could anyone who was born Teyego, in Ribera de Arriba, where only 75 neighbors live, be like that. Who was I going to go cycling with? He likes to train alone and has a homely nature, but he starts talking and doesn’t stop. It is not believed that he has just won at the Rapolano Terme finish line after a combat stage and that he has beaten a senator: Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal), double world champion, winner in San Remo and in a thousand places, among others in the Strade Bianche, here next door, in Siena.
Pelayo Sánchez arrived and took the victory in a good fight in the stage of the sterrato sections. The finish, with a strappo of 20% gradient, was managed very clearly by the 24-year-old Asturian, confident in his speed. Once the Frenchman and Luke Plapp (Jayco) did not let go of him on the slopes, the Asturian’s victory won in full because if there is one thing he has, it is a finish. That’s why Movistar signed him from Burgos in the winter, because he is the typical cyclist who contributes points in the finishes and can win. This is the third victory of his career, the second of the season after a test in Mallorca. For his team it is balsamic. He finished off a breakaway formed about 50 kilometers from the finish line. It was difficult for them to materialize it, because the group jumped on them at the end, but they managed the last kilometers well.
Valenciaga did not win
The winner at Rapolano Terme, bird’s eye view of Siena, is well known to Basque fans. Trained in the Asturian MMR by Samuel Sanchez, he is a contemporary of Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos), Oier Lazkano, Jon Barrenetxea (Movistar), Xabier Berasategi, Xabier Isasa (Euskaltel), Xabier Mikel Azparren (Q36.5) or Raul Garcia Pierna (Arkea), with whom he has been measuring since his junior stage and sharing adventures with the different selections.
He fought for victory with almost all of them in the Beasain junior pre-world championship in 2018, which Barrenetxea won. In 2020 he was second in Lazkao and did not win the Valenciaga Memorial due to a confusion when he was marching alongside Barrenetxea, today a teammate in Movistar, a few meters from the finish line in Arrate. Not signing up for the prestigious Eibar event did not prevent him from becoming a professional. He signed him to Burgos, where he ran from 2021 to 2023. The role of the modest teams, the Pro Team, is often not visible but is transcendental. Not everyone is Pogacar or Evenepoel, and climbing all the steps towards the elite one at a time and with your feet well supported is necessary for most.
“It’s crazy”
At the finish line, Sánchez was still scratching his head in disbelief. «He is crazy, I have no words. I wanted to get away, but I couldn’t imagine that I was going to win here. After a full day I made my move and in the end Alaphilippe, Plapp and I were left. We collaborated and I tried to pick them up, but I couldn’t. Luckily, in the sprint I was the fastest. Winning in a big one is special. Last year I was close in the Vuelta and I wanted to try it here, but I didn’t dream that I could arrive so soon.
The fact is that the Asturian gave one of his flashes. He is not known for his regularity, but when he is inspired he walks a lot. Disappeared from Mallorca, he confessed that “he was not in shape from the first day in the Giro.” On the sixth, he came to her.
First time trial
There was no battle between the favorites, everyone accepted the peace proposed by Ineos, which led the peloton at a high pace through the sterrato, but without attacks. Pogacar thought it was fine and didn’t move.
This Friday the first time trial will take place, from Foligno to Perugia, 40.6 kilometers with a tough finish. The last 6.6 kilometers are uphill, with the Casaglia slope (1.3 km at 11.8%) and the three finals at 3.2% with maximums of 11%.
2024-05-09 19:05:01
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