'It's not nice to lose in that way' - Tragic end for breakaway duo on stage six of the Giro d'Italia

Simon Clarke and Alessandro De Marchi had their dreams crushed with 200m to go in Napoli

Simon Clarke and Alessandro De Marchi at the Giro d'Italia 2023
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Cycling is a sport full of pathos. There is only one winner at the end of a race, which means there are often more than 170 riders left wanting more, disappointed. There are crashes, moves that don't quite work out, riders distanced through no fault of their own through mechanicals, or the most heartbreaking of all, the climber caught out in the wind.

The pathos was in abundance on Thursday's stage six of the Giro d'Italia, as two riders crossed the line sadder than anyone else in Napoli at that moment, in a city full of joy, for footballing reasons. Not only was the breakaway caught within sight of the finish line, but this could be a final chance for both of the riders in the move.

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Adam Becket
News editor

Adam is Cycling Weekly’s news editor – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling, he's happy. Before joining CW he spent two years writing for Procycling. He's usually out and about on the roads of Bristol and its surrounds.

Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.