Addy Engels experienced very tense moments during the stage 20 of the Giro d'Italia. The Jumbo-Visma team leader saw how his rider Primoz Roglic almost saw the final win literally slip through his fingers but eventzally managed to outwit the bad luck.
For Roglic, for whom the entire race didn't go smoothly due to falls, this ending seemed like a fitting end. “It was a rollercoaster. Not just today, by the way. You don't experience this anywhere else," he said to Eurosport. “A showdown like today is unprecedented.”
“I was on the motorbike behind Sepp Kuss. Then I was waiting at the finish line. Then it seems as if things are always going too slowly,” said the Dutchman. “When he had a problem with his bike I thought it was over, but luckily he stayed focused. He drove a great final part.”
For Roglic, the time trial was almost a home race. The Monte Lussari is close to the Slovenian border and the side of the road was therefore full of supporters of the Slovenian. “The fact that he is doing this here for his audience means a lot to me, and even more to him, I think,” concluded Engels.