Giro d'Italia, in Milan the last stage in the Imperial Forums. But the name of the Rose is Vingegaard

But Jonas, with his smiles and affable manner, is still a true leader. This can be seen in the way he moves his wingmen. Ever since Bulgaria, he has made his command felt, immediately making rivals or supposed rivals like Pellizzari anxious.

Someone, after the time trial won by Pippo Ganna, doubted that Vingegaard was so insuperable. But on the first real climb, that of the Blockhaus, it was immediately clear that there were two Tours: that of the Dane, and that of ordinary mortals, such as the Austrian Gall, the Australian Hindely, the Dutchman Aresman and so on.

Two Tours with very different goals: for Jonas, that of winning it while growing with the Tour in mind. For his rivals, that of winning the other two places on the podium (Gall and Hindley), thus improving their personal and team rankings. Things that we mere mortals may not care about, but in a three-week race have their importance.

This Sunday, against the backdrop of the Dome and the Imperial Forum, Captain Jonas also receives the keys to enter the Pantheon of the Best, i.e. those who have in their palmares the three great stage races (Giro, Tour and Vuelta). A triplete with evocative names: Anquetil, Gimondi, Merckx, Hinault, Contador, Nibali and Froome. Like the knights of the golden round table there are eight of them. For continuity and charisma, Miguel Indurain would also have deserved a place, but the Spaniard, curiously enough, has never won the Vuelta. Another absentee from the club is Tadej Pogacar, the Cannibal of Cannibals. Obviously he will do his utmost to fill the gap.

By the way: speaking of Vingo, we must also talk about Tadej. It is obvious that the Slovenian, who is also very strong in the monumental classics (13), is of a higher calibre because he is dominant on all terrain. The Dane, however, has shown here at the Giro that he is the only great climber who can beat him. And he can also do it at the Tour, as he proved in 2022 and 2023. Let's remember that then, in between, there was Jonas's injury in the Basque Country, which severely hampered him in the last two seasons. Now, however, the pink jersey seems to be back on top. So the challenge we will see at the Tour will be very intriguing. An overpowering Pogacar, however magnificent, eventually tires. Like caviar or truffles. An equal rival, like the Fisher King, will also increase the quality of the menu.

Vingo also liked the care for others. As he demonstrated in Friuli, in the magnificent Piancavallo stage, remembering the earthquake victims. These things are not taken for granted, it takes a certain sensitivity, which not everyone has. Of that stage, also very nice was the double passage that allowed, for those who were there, a double show. An experiment, which aroused enthusiasm, which should be repeated.

The Giro, although dominated by the pink jersey, was never ugly or boring. Even in the less significant stages. The problem, however, was the Italians: despite the exploits of Ballerini, Ganna, and Bettiol, plus Milan's last sprint, overall we did very badly. Ciccone himself, generous as you like, very good at winning the climbers' blue jersey and also (once) the pink jersey, remains an outsider. Certainly good at conquering some of the day's finishes, but then, after the flash, the darkness returns. The light goes out. Like that of Giulio Pellizzari. The virus is fine, but he can't handle the pressure. His team may have been wrong to give him the captain's stripes, but after all, we were at the Giro d'Italia. Something is wrong, Giulio himself must face the problem.

We are left with eighth place for Davide Piganzoli, 23, who is Vingegaard's domestique for the time being, and the excellent Damiano Caruso, who, at 38 years of age, reaffirmed that he had made his last lap.

Never has it happened at the Giro that the first Italian was in eighth place. We need to wake up fast and stop consoling ourselves with courageous breakaways and the 'fine feats' of the day. Apart from Ganna, however, a specialist, we no longer have any champions. Our movement is residual. We live on memories, on a glorious past that makes a sport, such as cycling, appear old, a sport that is also very popular with young people. We have two teams, Polti and Bardiani, which hold their own against the forty-million Dream Teams with enormous sacrifices. But we console ourselves, as the president of the Federation, Cordiano Dagnoni, and that of the League, Roberto Pella, did on TV, with the passion of the public and the beauty of the landscape. How beautiful Rome is, agreed. But for the rest there is little to be cheerful about.