Still 167 km – He can’t sit still, that Mathieu van der Poel. The Dutchman reports from the front again and gives a big sniff. The ascent of the Passo Colla will follow in a few minutes. Perhaps he can make a difference there.
172 km to go – Rose jersey wearer Juan Pedro López is suddenly on the sidelines and that is always a bad sign. The Spaniard gets a flat tire just as the pace in the peloton takes off. Thanks to a lightning-fast bike change, his backlog remains limited, but he nevertheless has to give chase.
Still 177 km – Thomas De Gendt is also caught up by the peloton, where chaos reigns supreme. Rider after rider tries to get away, but no one gets even an inch of space. What a game of nerves in southern Italy.
180 km to go – Mathieu van der Poel does not get away from the peloton. In no time at all, dozens of riders are riding in his wheel and then it makes no sense for the Dutchman to continue cycling. He lowers himself back into the pack. Knowing Van der Poel, he will soon make another attempt.
182 km to go † Attack Mathieu van der Poel! The Dutchman zooms away like a jet truck on the left side of the asphalt and punches a hole. Dozens of riders try to catch up with the best hill specialist in the world.
184 km to go – Mathieu van der Poel, Pascal Eenkhoorn and Wout Poels report to the front of the pack. Are the Dutch trying to take the leap forward? Thomas De Gendt has now built up a lead of about twenty seconds.
188 km to go – Many had written his name and he lives up to it again. Thomas De Gendt, the race attacker, drives away from the pack on his own. After a long hesitation, several riders try to connect with the Belgian of Lotto-Soudal, including Dries De Bondt of Mathieu van der Poel’s team.
189 km to go – After the three escapees have been taken in, the peloton goes at a steady trot over the roads in the south of Italy. Nobody dares to try their luck on this relatively flat part. We will probably only see the real fireworks when we climb Passo Colla, about 40 kilometers away.
192 km to go – The adventure of Moniquet, Fetter and Bayet was short-lived, because the threesome has already been arrested. It’s nervousness trumps in the peloton. Who dares to attack now?
195 km to go – Immediately after the flag signal, the Belgian Sylvain Moniquet from Lotto-Soudal tries his luck. He will be accompanied by the Hungarian Erik Fetter and Tobias Bayer from Austria. They don’t get much space from the chasing peloton.
196 km to go – The race director waves the flag! The seventh stage is underway. The attack can begin. It promises to be a spectacle.
The riders get on their bikes in Diamante. Before the race director waves the flag before the start of the stage, they first drive through the neutralization zone for another fifteen minutes.