Piacenza—Sestola, 187km
Well, it seems yesterday’s Taco Stage 3 was only the defibrillator to initially arise the pulse of this Giro, for today’s Stage 4 was a full guns-blazing battle—instead of the only hoped for teasing cagey GC skirmish. It was one of those chaotic days were all the scripts were thrown up in the air, all the storylines were totally chopped apart, there was no rhyme or reason to it at all, even for the most experienced viewers it was all too hard to fully follow. There is no way for one to coherently tell this tale. The only linking narrative element of it all was the brutal rainy conditions. It was one of those ideal days where all have accrued yet another war story to tell the grandkids by the fireplace decades from now. Truly, truly, I mean it when I say “ideal” for surely, surely these most brutal days are the ones most fondly remembered. What was that marvelous line from Virgil’s masterpiece the Aeneid? In the first book, when Aeneas and his exiled Trojans barely survive the greatest shipwreck in literature they turn up battered, bruised, sick, and starving on the shores of North Africa. Pious Aeneas, what does he say to raise his comrades’ spirits? Those enduring and endearing words: Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit. Yes, surely you all remember it now! But to use my beloved Robert Fagles’ rendering: “A joy it will be one day, perhaps, to remember even this.” Ah! Ain’t that the truth—Virgil you master. How ever applicable to every darkest hour, to every great toil and struggle in the cycling world, and our own lives as well. Truly, this is one of the greatest reasons we love such a sport, whether we know it or not. We love to see this line ring O! so true. Yes, today really was a day that many of the riders should retell to entertain the grandkids around the cozy fire after the winter day. And since I can find no way to thread all the plot points of the day together, let us one by one do the heavy-lifting story formulation now for the largest protagonists of the day.
Rein Taaramae (Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux)
O! Truly despite all the events of the day, for Rein Taaramae: Yes, “A joy it will be one day, perhaps, to remember even this.” Fresh off teammate Taco’s stupendous victory from the day before, Intermarche went from strength to strength. From the large early breakaway of the day, two of their men: this Rein Taaramae and Quinten Hermans of cyclocross fame broke away even from that larger breakaway group with only Team BikeExchange’s Christopher Juul-Jensen. There the three men rode to an 8-minute advantage over the peloton containing Filipo “Top” Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) wearing the maglia rosa, the Pink Jersey as race leader of the Giro d’Italia. Ah! But Taaramae began the day only 57 seconds behind Ganna, thus with the 8-minute lead, Taaramae was well into the virtual lead of the race. Quinten Hermans who O! so consistently finishes in the Top 10 of the biggest cyclocross races all winter rode is heart out in service of his teammate. The day was extremely lumpy, there were many proper tough climbs, and countless uncategorized additional rises. And O! how the weather sapped whatever energy the hills did not. What image it was: the Intermarche-upstarts making the biggest splash at the Giro two days in a row. There was Rein Taaramae sporting a classy casquette beneath his helmet while totally soaked to the bone just like everyone else. At his service was the versatile Quinten Hermans—one of the great ones in another cycling discipline—working totally for his success. And behind Taaramae, outnumbered, doing none of the work was Chris Juul-Jensen the Joker of Orica-Greenedge Backstage fame. He was an adversary to Taaramae, but that does not mean he isn’t a really great guy. Only the Smiling Assassin Estaban Chaves (Team BikeExchange) consistently made me laugh harder than this Joker Chris Juul-Jensen in the days of yore. When Quinten Hermans pulled off, job done, tank emptied, then Juul-Jensen and Taaramae teamed up to stay away. The partnership looked good, surely Juul-Jensen could have the stage and Taaramae the Pink Jersey. They rode like brave pioneers summiting snowy peaks in the afternoon, and fighting off bears and wolves by the campfire at night. They battled hard, but the conditions never let up. And the rest of the early breakaway chasers always stayed just within distance of them. And the final climb of the day, the Colle Passerino was too brutal. The pair did not stay away, they were caught on that final climb of the day within 4km of the finish. It was heartbreaking, but they probably did not even have the energy to be depressed—O! so exhausted were they. Yes, Rein Taaramae, you did not take Pink, but surely in years to come “A joy it will be one day, perhaps, to remember even this” when for a few hours you were the virtual leader of the Giro d’Italia.
Aleksandr Vlasov (Astana-Premier Tech)
Astana pegged high hopes on Aleksandr Vlasov this Giro, for he is their undisputed General Classification (GC) leader. Last year, he abandoned the Giro d’Italia on only the second stage—such a sad experience it must be to drop out of the beautiful race. Surely, the young Russian is motivated all the more to have a greater race, and it was today that got him off to that right GC start. All day the Ineos Grenadiers paced the peloton, and yet the breakaway got out to an 8-minute lead with only 21km left in the stage. But from there the pace was really ratcheted up on the final climbs of the day. Deceuninck-Quickstep sent riders to the front to aid the chase; and finally Bahrain Victorious as well. While Rein Taaramae and Chris Juul-Jensen were being caught by the other breakaway companions, Bahrain was shredding the peloton behind in service of their leader Mikel Landa. The breakaway’s lead absolutely tumbled, 6+ of the 8-minute lead would be slashed away in the course of the final 15km. And on that final climb, after all his teammates’ shelling, Mikel Landa when on the attack. He partnered up with Trek’s Guilio Ciccone to ride away and put time into all the GC rivals. But our Aleksandr Vlasov knew this was the moment, he knew he could not let them go without at least trying to bridge up them. Vlasov launched from the peloton, but one of Landa’s Bahrain teammates was on him and Vlasov could not find separation. And just as Vlasov was about to ease off, ZOOM! There flew by Egan Bernal the team leader of the Ineos Grenadiers, the 2019 Tour de France champion and prerace favorite for this Giro d’Italia. Egan Bernal was flying and feeling fine despite the horrid conditions, he on his way to easily bridging up with Landa and Ciccone ahead. Vlasov knew even more he must not let them go, he must get into that move. Whizzing by him next came Hugh Carthy (EF Education-Nippo) to also successfully bridge up to Bernal and Landa’s group. Still Vlasov fought on, scrapping and scraping his way to this elite group of GC riders flying away up the climb. He was not as elegant as Bernal or Carthy or Landa, but Vlasov successfully bridged up. Surely, it took everything he had. Surely, he was turning himself inside out. His legs screamed, his torso shivered, his arms ached, and his mind was fried. But there he was riding and keeping pace with three men who have finished on Grand Tour podiums before. Yes, yes, no matter how torturous that finale was: “A joy it will be one day, perhaps, to remember even this.” O! Yes, surely, Aleksandr Vlasov, you shall tell your grandchildren of the day your Giro GC campaign began with top marks. The day you kept pace with the great Colombian Egan Bernal on a mountain stage of the Giro when so many others could not.
Joe Dombrowski (UAE Team Emirates)
The American Joe Dombrowski did not ride on the front of the large early-day breakaway throughout much of the stage, whether he was just hanging in there or being as economical as possible with his energy cannot be determined. But while Quinten Hermans, Rein Taaramae, and Chris Juul-Jensen went up the road, Dombrowski always remained in the hunt in the next chasing group some 90-seconds behind, still well ahead of the peloton some 6 minutes behind them. This chasing group looked dead and beaten for much of that last 50km of the brutal stormy stage, no energy left amongst them. If there were any energy, surely they would have chased down these three leaders by now. Not only was a stage win up for grabs, but the maglia rosa itself was on the line for those who had done the best Stage 1 Time Trial and had not lost time since. It was under the combined impetus of Alessandro De Marchi (Israel Start-Up Nation) and this Dombrowski that inroads were finally made on Taaramae and Juul-Jensen on that final Colle Passerino climb. De Marchi did much of the early clawing back of the gap, while Dombrowski had to fight tooth-and-nail simply to stay with De Marchi. But with 6km to go, on this steepest climb of the day, the gap evaporated completely. De Marchi and Dombrowski caught Taaramae and Juul-Jensen with 4km still to race; and Dombrowski immediately capitalized on the situation. He dug deep, probably the deepest he has ever dug. O! So many times he has been in the Giro mountain stages breakaways before. So many times he has been in the top five on the day, but never number one. Never has he celebrated personal victory in Europe. O! Surely, surely these thoughts were flashing in his head when they caught the race leaders. Surely, exhausted as he was, at that moment he realized: “This is the best chance I’ll ever have to win the stage I have been chasing so long. I shall not waist an opportunity as I did before. Yes, yes, I have been so close so many times. Today I shall taste victory. O! None want this as badly as me!” O! The climb was steep! O! They were all so soaked from the storm! But now the tables were turned, it was Dombrowski setting the pace and slowly grinding up the climb; it was De Marchi scrapping and scraping to stay with him. And with 3km to go, Joseph Dombrowski the American had solidly distanced De Marchi finally for good. But he did not at all dare to slow up for still the climb rose. He needed to keep his momentum and rhythm, he was tunnel vision to the line. He was in the most pain he had ever been. For surely, it was not just this stage win that was motivating him, but it was the weight of all the missed ones as well. Finally, finally he would turn up a great result for all the work he had done not just today, but all the days. Were his Director Sportif in the car behind to have said into his ear-piece “A joy it will be one day, perhaps, to remember even this.” Surely, Dombrowski would have replied: “To Hell with ‘Perhaps!’ I AM going to win this Giro stage! Of course I’ll remember this day with joy! It shall be the greatest day of my sporting career.” With 2.5km, he finally crested the top of the brutal climb. It was a twisting and rolling run-in to the finish, but Dombrowski had enough time in hand to take care around the curves and celebrate the win in the final meters. As he crossed the finish line the stage winner, the American Joe Dombrowski sat up and swung his right arm high in the air for victory. In the forceful swing of that arm, we saw this victory was the reward of all the hard work he had done for Giro after Giro chasing this elusive stage win. Now he finally had it, and it finally came in the grandest of ways.
Alessandro De Marchi (Israel Start-Up Nation)
It has already been stated that it was the Italian Alessandro De Marchi that was the impetus to catch Rein Taaramae and Chris Juul-Jensen. Whereas Taaramae had started the stage 57 seconds down on Ganna in the GC, De Marchi had started only 33 seconds down to Ganna. Thus if he were to finish within 20 seconds of Taaramae, he would secure the maglia rosa, the Pink Jersey. Ah! It is every Italian cyclist’s fairytale dream to pull on that beautiful maglia rosa. That was the man’s motivation on that final Colle Passerino: tunnel vision, “Rosa, rosa, rosa, pink, pink, pink.” Yes, yes, you know the images of the seemingly ordinary man filled with adrenaline who lifts up the car or boulder that is about to crush the child. It was with that unreal strength that De Marchi hawked down Taaramae in his quest for Pink. Yes, yes, a race’s leader’s jersey gives off psychological super strength not only when wearing it…but when chasing it, too. At 34-years-of-age, how many more chances would this De Marchi get in his career to pull on the maglia rosa? He had to grab his shot with both hands, and as stated he did. When he and Dombrowski caught Taaramae and Juul-Jensen, it was Dombrowski that started taking the lead. De Marchi tried to stay with him purely to keep and increase his gap to GC competitors. It is not that De Marchi did not want to win the stage, but he has won Grand Tour stages before. Something he has never done is wear the leader’s jersey at a Grand Tour, O! what a fairytale it would be to wear the leader’s jersey of his home Grand Tour. He would have no hopes of keeping the maglia rosa to Milan, but to wear it just once for a day or two would make his career. But there was his pacemaker Dombrowski going up the road, surely it must have been agony to depressingly attempt to claw him back inch by inch with little hope. It must have been the most difficult moment in his whole career thus far, but “A joy it will be one day, perhaps, to remember even this.” But once more, the “perhaps” can assuredly be deleted. De Marchi crested the climb, and rode in to the finish with the GC time in the bank to pull on the maglia rosa. Perhaps someday after some childish prompting, De Marchi will say: “Ok, kiddos take a seat. Finally, I shall tell you in full how I acquired that Pink Jersey framed on the wall. It is the same color jersey the leader wears today. It is the same color jersey Fausto Coppi and the other Italian champions and legends wore in victory. It is the maglia rosa, the Pink Jersey. It is worn by the leader of the Giro d’Italia.” Then he shall shed a tear as he continues. “Yes, your old grand-daddy once wore that jersey after going well beyond the physical limits he thought he had. It was the summit, the high point of my career. It was the day I led the Giro d’Italia.”
Cycling Odysseys 