Girmay, Demare, Zabel & Co.: These riders made a name for themselves at the Giro 2022
Andreas Kublik
· 10.08.2022
Arnaud Démare - the fastest man
Arnaud Démare was the dominator of the sprints: The Frenchman won three of the five bunch sprints of the Giro d'Italia - on the 5., 6. and 13. Stage. Only at Lake Balaton in Hungary Mark Cavendish was fasterwho is still fighting for a starting place in his Team Quick-Step fought for the Tour de France.
In addition rushed Alberto Dainese (Team DSM) once past Démare. In the finals and their preparation, the 30-year-old professional was able to rely on his team-mates from Groupama-FDJ left. After the first success in Messina, which was also his first win of the season, he said: "It is a great relief." He now has a total of eight stage wins in the Giro - two more than Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil.
In Verona, his tenacity and consistency earned him the Maglia Ciclamino, the lilac-coloured jersey for the rider with the most points - the equivalent of the green jersey in the Tour.
Biniam Girmay - dangerous premium
What an unfortunate departure: First of all, the Biniam Girmay as the first stage winner Eritrea celebrated by his compatriots. He had beaten Mathieu van der Poel in a thrilling sprint. The moment of shock came at the award ceremony: when opening the Prosecco bottle for the winner, the professional cyclist from the Team Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert the cork catches the eye.
The 22-year-old was taken to hospital and did not compete in the following stage of the Giro d'Italia. The good news: Damage to the eye should not remain. From the following stage onwards, the magnum bottles were already uncorked before they were presented to the winner.
Vincenzo Nibali - last shark attacks
These were the last attacks by Vincenzo Nibali at the Giro d'Italia. The man who earned the nickname Shark of Messina (Lo squalo di Messina) no longer has enough bite - he will be 38 years old in November. He has been harbouring the thought of calling it a day for a while - after crossing the finish line the 5th stage in his home town of Messina, he created facts.
At the microphone of Italian TV channel RAI, the Team Astana pro announced that the end of the season was over: "On the roads where I trained, I would like to announce that this is my last Giro d'Italia", said the Sicilian with wet eyes. He had previously won the Giro twice (2013 and 2016), the Tour de France once (2014) and the Vuelta (2010). This time he finished fourth. The Tifosi always felt well entertained by their aggressive, passionate compatriot. Never has a shark been more popular with the people.
Rick Zabel - the mountain sprinter
From father Erik Rick Zabel inherited the sprinter genes - climbing is not a talent that runs in the family. But the professional from Team Israel-Premier Tech had a close look at the regulations and route of the nine-kilometre individual time trial on stage 2 of the Giro d'Italia. Mountain points were awarded to the fastest rider on the final climb - and the 28-year-old from Cologne took them in the mountain sprint.
Beforehand, he had warmed up relatively comfortably on the flat section - finishing 167th overall out of 176 starters. He received two awards for his successful coup: as most combative driver of the day, and he was allowed to stand in for the overall points leader Mathieu van der Poel blue jersey of the best climber. He improved on this on the third stage - scoring more points and officially wearing the blue jersey - albeit only for one day before heading up Mount Etna.
Andrej Ponomar - heavy thoughts
Can you compete in a three-week cycle race with concentration and focus, while at home War and the father is fighting on the front line? No, believes Gianni Savio, the team boss of Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli. Nevertheless, he left Andrej Ponomarthe Ukrainian champion - last year he was the youngest Giro participant at the age of 18. He had only just welcomed his mother and sister to his Italian home near Vicenza, having fled after three weeks in the bunker.
"They are dead inside, like zombies", Ponomar reported in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The tiredness of the Giro helps him not to think about his home country for too long at night. On the way, the man in the blue and yellow Ukraine champion's jersey saw many flags that reminded the 19-year-old of home: the fans demanded "Pace" - Peace.
Juan Pedro Lopez - colourful
He was probably the discovery of this Giro d'Italia: Juan Pedro Lopez wore the pink jersey for ten days - longer than anyone else in the race. Although Lennard Kämna on the way to his victory on the 4th stage on the Etna shortly before the finish, but as consolation the 24-year-old Spaniard received the coveted leader's jersey - which he tenaciously defended over many mountains.
It also showed Juan Pedro Lopez was a good kid: On one stage, he threw his water bottle towards Sam Oomen in the heat of the moment after the latter almost caused him to fall. As soon as he crossed the finish line, Lopez apologised unasked in front of the camera for his lack of restraint. In the end, he was named best Young professional rewarded with the white jersey.
Andreas Kublik
Editor
