In the run-in to Trento, on what was the Queen stage of an already very challenging Tour of the Alps, GC leader Giulio Pellizzari began flexing his muscles, attacking the favourites group.
However, he was pounced on instantly, multiple times, by one rival in particular. A rival who looked not just spirited but in control too. If you didn’t watch the race, you might hazard a guess at Tom Pidcock, or perhaps defending champion Michael Storer. But this was, in fact, Egan Bernal.
As the Giro d’Italia approaches, the 29-year-old Colombian – vying for best-dressed rider in the peloton with his jersey and bike national champ’s combo – has been looking good at this race, and never more so than today on stage four, which was won solo by surprise winner Lennart Jasch (Tudor Pro Cycling).
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Basso would not be drawn on Bernal’s numbers compared to those of his pre-crash days, but said in any case he was more interested in the rider’s mental strengths and general approach – not something Bernal lacks, he inferred.
“From my point of view, it is the mentality. If you have the same mentality [as pre-crash] – and Egan has shown these mentalities in this race – you can push the limit. I think in this modern cycling, everything is around the marginal gains, all the small pieces and putting them all together. If you have the right mentality, you can push the limits every day in every training and race.”
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