Pink Banana: Giro d’Italia stage 4 – Valerio Conti

Pink Banana: Giro d’Italia stage 4 – Valerio Conti

A bold late attack that briefly promised to flip the script lands Valerio Conti the first of our occasional Giro awards

Giro d'Italia Racing Valerio Conti

Valerio Conti should have won a stage in last year’s Giro. He would still have had to get the better of eventual winner Gorka Izagirre and two other high-calibre breakaway companions, but when he wiped-out attacking through a hairpin bend on the final climb to the finish in Peschici, all he took away from the stage were some wounds to lick.

An aggressive rider who attacks with confidence, especially when the road goes upwards, it was little surprise to see the Vuelta stage winner go up the road as the finish approached on stage four of this year’s Giro. What impressed, however, was for how long the move endured ahead of a ravaging peloton, nervous about gaps opening on the tricky run-in and sniffing an opportunistic stage win.

 

The UAE-Emirates rider went clear following a move from Wilier’s Enrico Zardini as the road reared up with a little over 10km to go. But the moment his compatriot’s presence became burdensome, Conti kicked again on the front, shook him off and settled into a rhythm that saw him open enough of a gap for officials to briefly plonk a car in. It was also enough to stir Carlton Kirby into a frenzied ball of excitement – although we’re not sure that’s a measure of much.

Read: Canvassing Opinion – painting the Giro d’Italia

It’s not often you’ll see a lone rider pull open such a gap on a peloton in the closing throes of a race, and for his effort we’re going to award him Rouleur’s first pink banana of the 2018 Giro.

 

For a while, and as the Eurosport commentator justifiably speculated, it looked like Conti might just defy the odds and land himself the bigger prize of a stage. But a hungry peloton has an insatiable appetite for time gap and after Lotto Fix-All and Bahrain-Merida threaded the bunch through the streets of Caltagirone, Conti was caught around the 3km mark. 

He’ll get his Giro stage one day.

More sporadic than our Tour de France Top Banana competition, the Rouleur Pink Banana goes to an unsung hero of any stage of the Giro d’Italia we feel like awarding it on.

 

The post Pink Banana: Giro d’Italia stage 4 – Valerio Conti appeared first on The world's finest cycling magazine.

Giro d'Italia Racing Valerio Conti

READ MORE

Zurich Road World Championships 2024 individual time trial contenders

Zurich Road World Championships 2024 individual time trial contenders

Who will secure the gold medals in the elite individual time trials in Zurich?

Leer más
All change at Astana: does new investment spell a revival?

All change at Astana: does new investment spell a revival?

The Kazakh team is currently recruiting riders who can guarantee enough WorldTour points to keep them in the top tier after 2025

Leer más
Ready for the Worlds: Pogačar flies to victory in Canada (gallery)

Ready for the Worlds: Pogačar flies to victory in Canada (gallery)

Images from the WorldTour's weekend away to North America

Leer más
‘I thought a KOM was a Strava segment!’ Clara Emond – the lawyer who became a Grand Tour stage winner

‘I thought a KOM was a Strava segment!’ Clara Emond – the lawyer who became a Grand Tour stage winner

From first bike to Grand Tour stage winner in three years: Law student Clara Emond’s remarkable and rapid rise

Leer más
Opinion: Lotte Kopecky is your next Tour de France Femmes winner

Opinion: Lotte Kopecky is your next Tour de France Femmes winner

The Belgian rider’s recent performances prove that she is every bit the general classification contender

Leer más
Pogačar is back: can the Tour de France champion make a winning return in Canada?

Pogačar is back: can the Tour de France champion make a winning return in Canada?

The Slovenian will return to racing at the GP de Québec and Montréal this weekend ahead of the World Championships

Leer más

MEMBERSHIP

JOIN ROULEUR TODAY

Independent journalism, award winning content, exclusive perks.

Banner Image