Cycling: The Giro d'Italia is not over yet. Nevertheless, we can already talk about the first big winners. Nico Denz won his first two Grand Tour stages. Derek Gee is THE discovery of the Tour. And the Corratec – Selle Italia team shows that their riders are really good for the Giro d'Italia.
https://www.velomotion.de/magazin/2023/05/radsport-giro-ditalia-2023-strecke-profil/
1) Corratec – Selle Italia: active & competitive
The Corratec – Selle Italia team was only set up last year. The Giro organization then invited the team directly. We can already say that it was worth it. Because if you look at the stages of the Tour of Italy from the beginning, you will automatically get to know the Italian team with a German bike manufacturer. Always active, always visible - true to the motto "Passion of Cycling" Corratec – Selle Italia presents itself from its best side. One of the highlights was definitely the seventh stage. It led up to the Gran Sasso d'Italia. Hardly anyone has a driver from corratec – Selle Italia named as one of the drivers who could win here. In the end Karel Vacek was second on the day. Again and again he was left behind in the final climb. Again and again he came. He almost achieved the great triumph. With his driving style, he definitely won the hearts of the fans.
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2) Nico Denz: A breakaway king like Jens Voigt once did
In cycling, the most popular riders aren't always the big winners. On the contrary: In the hearts of the fans, the winners are often the losers. That's what happened in the year 2018 as Nico Denz narrowly missed his first Grand Tour stage win. Together with Matej Mohoric he turned onto the home straight. Before that, the German worked a lot more than the Slovenian. In the end, Mohoric still won – and Denz was annoyed. The fans suffered with him. This year he does it better – twice. Nico Denz won the 12th and 14th stage. And all in the style of Jens Voigt. Always suffering, always fighting - and in the end not only with success, but also with the cheers of the spectators.
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3) Derek Gee: 3x stage runners-up - and that out of nowhere
Another example of how the big winners often don't have to win is Derek Gee. The 25-year-old Canadian was not even known to many before the start of the Giro d'Italia. Okay, last year he won the Canadian Time Trial Championships, but let's be honest: there aren't that many good Canadians in cycling these days. After three weeks in Italy, he is definitely one of them, because Derek Gee managed the feat of finishing second in three stages. Nico Denz, Ben Healy and Magnus Cort were just a tad faster than him on stages 3, 14 and 10. He tried again and again. If he keeps it up, it will only be a matter of time before he gets his reward. In any case, the cycling fans keep their fingers crossed.
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