The Australians of Varese corner the pink jerseys

It is certainly not usual, in a great stage race, for the pink jersey to pass from one teammate to another. But today, this is what happened on the Giro d’Italia: the leader, Michael Matthews, was unable to defend his position during a stage that was right for him, so he gave it up to Simon Clarke, also Australian (he is 29, and was born in Melbourne), also on the Orica Green Edge team, and who also grew up as a man and as an athlete in Varese Province. Indeed, many people in the province know Clarke well; he lived in Castronno, thanks to the sports programmes of the Australian government, and now also has a house in Varese.

However, today’s hero of the day on the Giro, is Davide Formolo; the young man from Verona, a member of the Cannondale-Garmin team, making his first appearance on the Giro, achieved the first success in his career when he broke away at the right time, at the top of the Biassa climb, and held on to the lead until the finishing line in La Spezia.

Behind Formolo, in the final stages, a heated battle began among the greats, the favourites for victory, when Fabio Aru made a spurt for the finish. The climber from Sardinia made the Astana team work hard, and then increased the pace like crazy; Alberto Contador and Richie Porte stayed with him, but Rigoberto Uran lost ground and companions, and from now on, will have to catch up.