"He's just not good at the moment and he just screws up Kooij's sprint" - Dutch analyst harsh on Moschetti after stage 6
Cycling
Stage 6 of Giro d'Italia wasn't a good day for anyone except today's winner Kaden Groves. First we saw a dull stage with small breakaway and peloton on a sightseeing tour through Campania that was broken by a mass crash in the peloton. Jury ultimately neutralized the stage, taking time gaps, bonifications and points towards Maglia Ciclamino out of equation. Thus, only the prestige of stage victory was at the stake in Napoli.
With many riders calling it day after the neutralization was announced, the sprinter field shrunk to just about 20 men. First, Bobbie Traksel and Jip van den Bos discuss on Kop over Kop podcast the moment before the sprint, where Van Aert still had to close a big gap:
"You can just see that nobody knows what they're going to do anymore. Wout van Aert is going to close the gap and he actually wants to take Kooij with him. However, Kooij decides not to go along and to stay on the wheel of those men who are still there." That turned out to have been a wrong call on Kooij's part later as he wasn't allowed to sprint in the end.
Traksel does think that Van Aert wanted to go for the stage win after the overtaking maneuver landed him a few meters ahead of the reduced peloton. Briefly, it looked like his move could work out. "Van Aert was certainly told that he could go, but we know that the team leaders' perception is quite behind. So I think he made that decision himself. He just realizes that it's not going to work and eventually he gives up."
For Traksel it is difficult to say whether Moschetti actually kept his line in the sprint duel with Kooij. "Moschetti is looking for that edge and Kooij is there with perfect legs, but he can't go anywhere. He is really held up and then Groves is also long gone. That bend turns to the left and Moschetti just looks for the inside bend. He just keeps more to the boarding than the white line that is there."
Ultimately, Traksel is tough. He thinks it's a disgrace that the Italian 'screwed up' the sprint for Kooij. "Moschetti just didn't have the legs. Whatever you do. He's not the Moschetti we saw at the beginning of the season. He's just not good at the moment and he just keeps the barriers closed for someone. To be fair, he just screws up Kooij's sprint."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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