Italian veteran Danilo Di Luca (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia) came within a whisker of taking a surprise victory in the fourth stage of the Giro d’Italia yesterday as his ferocious late attack was only reeled in on the finishing straight.
“The Killer” broke clear of the bunch over the top of the final climb of the day - the Croce Ferrata, which the group of favourites crested with just 6.7 km to go – accompanied by Robinson Chalapud (Colombia), but a combination of the Colombian’s reluctance to collaborate and the terrain saw Di Luca’s efforts eventually frustrated.
"At nine kilometres from the finish I tried, in agreement with [team manager Luca] Scinto, and I went away with a Colombian but he never came through to take a turn,” Di Luca explained to Gazzetta dello Sport.
It was clear for all to see that Di Luca was the one to do all of the work inside the last two km of the climb, as the two riders managed to open up a slender lead of around ten seconds over the peloton, and it was the Italian that led down the first few km of the ensuing descent. Whether this was down to the fact that it was all that Chalapud could do to stay on Di Luca’s wheel on wet roads littered with white lines or a premeditated decision not to work remains unclear.
By the time the Colombian did come through to work, though, as the roads evened out in the last two km, the duo had almost been caught. Di Luca confessedthat it wasn’t only the Colombian’s apparent lack of cooperation that cost him the victory, however.
“Above all, I thought there was less flat road between the end of the descent and the finish line,” he acknowledged. “Too bad, because with a bit of cooperation from the Colombian or less flat between the end of descent and the finish, I could have made it.”
“I feel good though,” he added, “and I'll try again in the next few days, that’s for sure.”
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