“I had to wait a long time" - Andrea Vendrame ends barren run with emphatic breakaway victory on stage 19 of 2024 Giro d'Italia

Although the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team has been incredibly successful in the early part of the 2024 season, one of those riders still waiting for a triumph was Andrea Vendrame. On stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia, the Italian finally got a win for himself.

“Today it was of course crucial to get into the early breakaway," reflected the 29-year-old in his post-stage interview. Just getting into the break however, wasn't a guarantee of victory, especially since the quality of riders alongside him. "Ultimately we succeeded and we had a leading group with many different types of riders. It was a strong group, including Julian Alaphilippe. He has tried many times today."

With the fight still very much going on within the best of the break towards the final 30 kilometres, Vendrame opted not to wait for the final climb to make his move and instead launched on the prior descent. Despite him initially being kept in check, as the chase stalled, Vendrame was able to gain a lead of over a minute that eventually proved to be decisive.

“I wanted to get some lead for that final climb. Offence is the best defence. I chose my own pace on the climb and was able to maintain it well," concludes the 29-year-old Italian. "The fact that I ultimately win is very special. I'm feeling a lot of emotions right now. I had to wait a long time as I could not win in previous years. and that has caused frustration. Now I hope I can maintain this level.”

2024 Giro d'Italia Stage 19