Afonso Eulálio finished another day dressed in pink at the Giro d’Italia, his sixth, and this time he could breathe a little easier. After intense days defending the lead, highlighted by two summit finishes and an individual time trial, the Portuguese rider from Bahrain – Victorious finally had a more controlled stage, on a day when the breakaway once again fought for the win, with Jhonatan Narváez taking the victory.
The trickiest moment of the day came right in the opening kilometers, during a phase marked by the battle to make the break. With several teams keen to place men up front, the start was full gas, with an average speed of 50 km/h in the first hour of racing, which included few smaller bumps.
UAE Team Emirates – XRG missed the day’s first two breakaways and had to chase, stretching the peloton. The main group even split, and the Portuguese rider found himself in the second group, but things soon returned to normal, and from there he enjoyed a calmer day, with his team setting the pace.
“We knew there would be a big fight from many teams to get riders into the break. It took some time for that group to form, but once it did, we could ease off a bit. The team did a perfect job and I just had to sit on the wheel, eat, drink, and get to the finish safely,” Eulálio explained in the flash interview,
in remarks quoted by Jornal Record.
The Portuguese rider continues to experience special days in this second appearance at the Giro and does not hide his excitement about remaining in the overall lead.
Afonso Eulálio in pink jersey
“It’s perfect to wake up in the morning, look at the bus and see this fox [the mascot given to the GC leader] inside. It’s an incredible feeling to wear this jersey at the start of the stages,” confessed the rider from Figueira.
Tomorrow he faces a 175 km stage, which should see the (more versatile) sprinters fight for the win. It will be another opportunity for Eulálio to enjoy the maglia rosa and the white jersey without too many worries as no differences are expected in the general classification.
