29/05/2023

Analysis: The saddest Giro d'Italia in the history of Spanish cycling?

It ends a Giro d'Italia in which very little was expected from Spanish cycling and, unfortunately, it has been so. Nothing was expected and nothing has happened. 6 started and 6 finished today in Rome: Luis León Sánchez, Jonathan Lastra, Carlos Verona, José Joaquín Rojas, Diego Pablo Sevilla and Albert Torres.

LUIS LEÓN SÁNCHEZ

It has been an Italian race in which the breakaways have had a preponderant role and we could have expected something more from Luis León Sánchez, who has not moved. It was a very different Luisle to the one we are used to, as we saw in the last Tour de France. He finished 24th overall without being protagonist in any stage.

Primoz Roglic after surviving late mechanical to virtually win the Giro d'Italia: "I put the chain on well and I tried again"

JONATHAN LASTRA.

The next in the final classification is Jonathan Lastra (32nd) who has fulfilled, has slipped into some breakaway and has worked for a Cofidis that has not shone too much in the corsa rosa. We can't ask too much more from him.

CARLOS VERONA.

Carlos Verona was perhaps Spain's great hope for a stage. He spent the first week working for Fernando Gaviria and in the final stretch he tried. In Monte Bondone he seemed to be the strongest of the breakaway, but it was the ONLY stage of the whole Giro in which the general classification was at stake and Joao Almeida ended up winning. In Tre Cime di Lavaredo he was knocked down by an AG2R car and was left in a lot of pain. A pity, we don't know if he would have had the strength to beat Santiago Buitrago.

Michel Wuyts - "I am convinced that Remco had won this Giro d'Italia. I don't say 'could have won', but 'had won'"

JOSÉ JOAQUÍN ROJAS

José Joaquín Rojas has worked hard for Carlos Verona and Einer Rubio in the last week to include them in breakaways. Nothing more could be asked of the Spaniard at this stage of his career. He has been attentive, it was his teammates who were not in certain stages, hence they did not have more chances to win in the mountains.

DIEGO PABLO SEVILLA

Diego Pablo Sevilla. Another one who has done his job of being EOLO-KOMETA's breakaway man on the flat stages. Publicity for the sponsor on TV: job well done. Good for him, but let's just say he doesn't fix the Giro for Spain.

ALBERT TORRES

Finally, Albert Torres. His success depended on the success of Fernando Gaviria, since the Majorcan is the Colombian's squire. He has killed for him, but they have not been fortunate enough to return with a stage victory for Movistar Team.