Giro d'Italia, Carlos Verona wins in Asiago and dedicates success to Giulio Ciccone
The second week of the Giro d’Italia 108 closes in the best way for Lidl-Trek, which, the day after losing Giulio Ciccone, wins the Fiume Veneto-Asiago with Carlos Verona. The sixth success in fifteen stages for the U.S. team came on the ramps of the Dori GPM, where the Spaniard stretched from the breakaway group he was part of.
Filippo Zana and Gianmarco Garofoli tried to close the gap, but they also had to surrender to the return of the rest of the companions d’adventure, with Florian Stork taking second place over Christian Scaroni. The Maglia Rosa group finished 29″ but without Primož Roglič. The winner of the Giro d’Italia 2023 was unable to react to numerous sprints, particularly those brought by Egan Bernal and Richard Carapaz, losing 1’30”.
No problems instead for Isaac Del Toro, always ready to respond to rivals’ attacks, crowning a week lived in the Maglia Rosa with authority. After the second rest day, the Mexican will restart with 1’20” on Simon Yates and 1’26” on Juan Ayuso, in a top five completed by Carapaz and Canadian Derek Gee. Roglič slips to 10th place, 3’53” from the Maglia Rosa.
These are the words of Carlos Verona: “I am very excited because this sport is unique and knows how to turn disappointments into joys in a short time. I won in front of my family, after a day that had been very bitter for the whole team. I want to dedicate the victory to Giulio Ciccone, who had worked so hard for this Giro and who had to abandon it right on the eve of the week that would have seen him in the lead.”
“This team is like a second family, we are very close and we have a unique leader like Mads Pedersen who always spurs us on to improve. Today was my day. I was doing well on Monte Grappa and was able to get into the decisive action’it was a good day. The finish was suited to my characteristics as a cross-country rider, although I feared the comeback of the Maglia Rosa” group.
Here instead are the words of Maglia Rosa Isaac Del Toro: “The leadership in the team is not yet well defined. Me, Ayuso and Adam Yates are strong, we will see how we manage the third week. I have the Maglia Rosa but things can change. I race against my idols, and in a few years I find myself having to follow their attacks. Ineos is interpreting the race very aggressively, I imagined they would try on Monte Grappa and so I stuck to their wheels. I am happy that I managed to stay with Bernal” all the time.
