Giro d’Italia 2021: Alessandro De Marchi reveals he’d been planning to take maglia rosa for two days
The Italian veteran missed out on his first Giro stage win but took a major consolation prize
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Alessandro De Marchi has revealed he’d planned to take the maglia rosa for two days at the Giro d’Italia 2021.
The Israel Start-Up Nation rider, famed for his opportunistic breakaway moves, jumped into the 25-rider escape on stage four and emerged among the strongest in the miserable weather conditions.
De Marchi crossed the line 13 seconds behind stage winner Joe Dombrowski (UAE Team Emirates), but had done enough to secure the race lead.
Speaking after the finish, the 34-year-old Italian said: “I started thinking about taking the maglia rosa two days ago but I didn't tell anybody.
“Today it was about finding the right move. I knew it would be tricky at the start. A bit of luck helped and here we are. I'm lost for words. The maglia rosa is the childhood dream of every cyclist, especially for an Italian.”
De Marchi now leads the Giro by 22 seconds over Dombrowski in second, as Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) bowed out of the top 10 overall.
After making the break, De Marchi began to dream that his plan could become a reality, as the leading group pulled out a significant advantage on the hills of Emilia Romagna
But at the mid-way point, De Marchi began to fear he may have lost his opportunity as three breakaway riders went clear and pulled out their own significant gap.
>>> Five talking points from stage four of the Giro d’Italia 2021
He said: “Today when I realised that there was opportunity I really started to dream and I was scared to have lost the opportunity in the middle of the race when the three guys went.
“I was quite scared that it was too late, but then again the old rule works perfectly: so never give up.”
With a flat stage on day five, De Marchi is likely to hold onto the race lead for at least two stages, before the first summit finish of the race on stage six.
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Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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