Turgis wins and Pogacar puts on a show on the ‘sterrato’

From Troyes to Troyes, much ado about nothing with the victory of Antoine Turgis (Total Energies), French, 30 years old, seventh professional triumph. An impressive stage, but without consequences. An impressive scene, but without repercussions. A stage during which everything happened so that in the end nothing happened.

Stage in which, after a thousand and one attacks, a million disputes, successive emotions, always on the verge of shaking the general classification, eight of the 14 of the initial breakaway ended up arriving, from where, due to a puncture, Oier Lazkano. A scene, in any case, of considerable wear and tear on the eve of the day of rest.

An absurd stage of 199 km, characterized by 14 sections of dirt totaling 32 km, six of them in the final part, which gave rise to an almost hypnotic spectacle, but ultimately empty. While from the first kilometers they began to fly Turgis, Stuyven, Romo, Lazkano, Aramburu, De Gee, Pidcock, Lutsenko, Healey…the festival of land sectors has begun.

In the 13th, they remained Roglic, Ayuso and Van Aert. They bonded. Bikes and cars kicked up dust like fog. On the 12th, he got a flat tire. Vineyard. Related. On the 11th, he attacked Pogacar. They caught him. The dust stuck to the sweat and made the legs, arms and jerseys almost gray. In the 10th he scored Evenepoel. They only replied Pogacar et Vineyard.

The triple impulse led them to catch up with those in front of them. Then, neutralizing each other, they stopped. Those in front, relieved, continued alone and the platoon caught up with the trio of aces. Between the escapees and the large group, a flotilla of bruised bodies was placed, with From the Poel figurehead.

The scene was still as frantic as ever. The fires were real, visible, striking. But artificial. Dust and more dust. Unbreathable fog. And then, in sector 4, he brutally attacked Pogacar. He left. Jorgensonin a colossal effort, brought Vineyard to Slovenian. They all three left. They left? No. Before sector 2, they were caught. In sector 1, again Pogacaralthough with less force, put meters between him and the others. Nothing. In the end, nothing.

In front of them, the eight escapees watched each other, attacked each other and engaged in feints. From the troubled river, it has produced fruits Stuyven. He had a 10-second lead. He seemed to be the winner then. But no. They caught him in the last kilometer. And in the last meters, Turgis won the match against Pidcock, De Gee et Rush Hourto scam Romeo seventh. At 1:17, they crossed the finish line Girmay, Matthews, Van der Poel and company. Immediately after, the platoon with all the illustrious. The general does not change.

Some of us do not share the recent and contagious enthusiasm for the “sterrato”, the “gravel”, or whatever we want to call it. Cycling is asphalt of more or less good quality; of roads of more or less width and in better or worse condition, including the foundation cobblestones, which go up, down and level. But not the dust (if the weather is nice), the mud (if it rains), the stones and the traps. Cycling already has enough external attractions of all kinds, wind, rain, sun, to resort to forced stimuli. Off the asphalt, there is already cyclocross and mountain biking. The Tour joins a trend that, with the Strade Bianche and the Clásica de Jaén, is enough. But the Holy Mother UCI and the heretical Organizations have doctors.