Thomas De Gendt is thrilled after his great victory in the Giro d’Italia. The Belgian adventurer defeated Mathieu van der Poel in a hilly stage on Saturday and thus booked his fifth stage victory in a big round.
“If you had said two weeks ago that I would win a stage in the Giro, I would not have believed you, because my form was still so bad,” said the Lotto-Soudal rider after his day’s success in conversation with sporza†
The 35-year-old De Gendt jumped from the start of the stage, which was very similar to the Amstel Gold Race, in a leading group including Van der Poel. After breaking away from the Dutch favorite, he was the fastest in the sprint in Naples in a group of four riders.
“When Van der Poel started on those steep parts of the climb, all three of us had to fit,” said De Gendt. “But we were able to return and attacked immediately, because we knew that the others would then look at Van der Poel, Girmay and Ulissi. They were the ideal lightning rods.”
The victory in Naples followed for De Gendt ten years after he soloed to the victory over the Stelvio. The Belgian, who is known for his long attacks, hits his victory on Saturday higher than the beautiful solo on the iconic climb.
“After everything that has happened in the past two years, with all that bad luck, this is one of the best victories of my career in terms of feeling,” said De Gendt, who struggled with the symptoms of a depression after the Tour de France last year. burnout. He will get back on his bike on Sunday for the tough mountain stage to the top of the Blockhaus.