The 23-year-old showed our team’s colors were present in the breakaway for the fourth time since the start of the race.
One of the toughest climbs of this Vuelta came early, on the sixth stage, and its name was Puerto El Bartolo. Averaging 7.1% over 9.4 kilometers, this monster of a climb had two kilometers of gravel which seriously tested the riders together with the gradients that in some parts reached 17%. It was there that the main attacks of the GC men came, more than four kilometers from the top, spelling the end of the road for the breakaway, which also contained Gianmarco Garofoli.
Soudal Quick-Step’s Italian, riding his second Grand Tour of the season, was among the last riders to be brought back on the demanding unsurfaced section, having put in an impressive effort up until that point, which helped the group take their maximum advantage to almost three minutes.
Despite being caught and despite spending a lot of energy in the breakaway, Gianmarco still finished the stage won by Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) as the first Soudal Quick-Step rider to cross the line in Castello, which returned as a finish for the first time in eleven years.
We were hoping to have a day for the breakaway, but the peloton had different plans.
“It was very hard, but I kept pushing and did my best on the steep climbs that really took their toll on us. We remain confident in our chances and we will continue to fight for a stage victory”, Gianmarco said after the stage.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
