Giro d'Italia, first assessment after the Bulgarian stages. The race starts again from Calabria with Silva in pink

Here it is again. After the Bulgarian triptych ended in Sofia with the sprint encore of Frenchman Paul Magnier, and with Uruguayan Guillermo Silva retaining the pink jersey, the Giro d'Italia starts again this Tuesday, 12 May, in Calabria with the fourth stage Catanzaro-Cosenza of 138 kilometres, a short stage with a climb (Cozzo Turno, 14 km at 5.9%) halfway up that is not very demanding. Barring any unforeseen events, Silva should therefore easily be able to defend his lead. We shall see. But what has emerged from this Bulgarian 'starter'? Is there already some initial indication of the protagonists and the forces in the field? Here is an initial assessment.

Bye bye Bulgaria (6.5). In short, a laughable sufficiency. The finale in Sofia was beautiful, at last in front of a worthy crowd, but beyond the propagandist hyperbole of the organisers, these departures from countries that have as much to do with cycling as cabbages in a snack, always leave time to be found. It is true that the economic side is important, and that 10 million is not chocolates, but there are still many inconveniences for the transfers and a certain underlying melancholy for an unnatural setting. On the crashes and accidents, little can be said. With the rain, especially in the first stages, and with the adrenaline pumping, it could have happened even in Italia. Prudence and great concentration are needed, even away from the arrivals.

Silva, the first time for an Uruguayan (8). Every Giro always has a few surprises, even the most boring and predictable ones. This time Guillermo Thomas Silva, 25 years old of Xds-Astana, the first Uruguayan rider in the history of the Giro and also the first rider from this country to take the pink jersey, came out of the race hat. By now Silva, even if he loses the lead immediately, is a great little hero of his land. Even President Yamandu Orsi took to social media to speak of a 'historic day for national sport'. Guillermo's family, starting with his father Alvaro, is also arriving on the roads of the Giro. A resounding fact for Uruguay, a notoriously footballing country.

Jonas Vingegaard, the favourite 7.5. Usually the colonels in the first stages, unless there is a time trial, stay out of the spotlight well hidden in the belly of the peloton. Colonel Jonas, on the other hand, preferred to strike a blow right away to show who's in charge and to see if there is anyone who can disturb him in his objective, which is the well-known one of winning the Giro to conquer the Triplete (Tour, Giro, Vuelta). And he did it on the second stage, on the only relief that resembles a climb, the one leading to Lyaskovetz Monastery, before the finish in Veliko Tornovo, the ancient Bulgarian capital. Here Vingegaard set off a nice firecracker to pick out the competition. He immediately made a big splash, taking only two would-be fighters behind him: our Giulio Pellizzari and Belgium's Van Eetvel. A real attack which, however, due to a lack of conviction, fizzled out just before the finish line. But it was only a first taste: already at Blockhaus, next Friday, we will see if the Dane wants to emulate Pogacar or will continue to bark without biting.

Pellizzari, the last blue sentinel 7.5. At last we can talk about an Italia rider without having to say that he is a luxury domestique or fighting for a good placing. Giulio Pellizzari, 22 years old, also known as the Duke of Camerino because of his Marche roots, is the only real shot in the arm in Italia cycling, with no offence to Pippo Ganna, who is very good at time trials but not so eclectic as to also aim for the podium. Here, with Giulio, a handsome boy with a shifty eye, there is some hope. In addition to being a complete rider, he is also a guy who is not afraid to respond to a big shot like Vingegaard. At his attack, on the climb towards the Monastery, he did not think twice about immediately getting in the Danish champion's slipstream. A beautiful gesture, of pride and righteous bravado, which gives us hope. In the finale, Giulio too pulled the oars in the boat, content to have responded to the Great Favourite. A Pantani or a Nibali, they would have had no problem giving another burst of gas to attempt the coup de grâce. There's always time, but in these things it's better to get ahead now.