Wout Poels from Blitterswijck enjoyed the Hungarian stages but now focuses on the first mountain stage on Tuesday with the finish on Etna. “That would be nice, but of course I also have to think a bit about Mikel Landa.” The Spaniard is Poels’ leader in the Giro d’Italia.
Wout Poels is currently 41st in the Giro, a good minute behind rose jersey wearer Mathieu van der Poel.
Camping
Poels made ‘a trip down memory lane’ during the Hungarian stages. “We used to go on holiday here often. My brother sent a photo of a campsite where we passed the first day in the Giro.” Still, Poels is happy when he lands in Sicily on Monday. “The Giro simply belongs in Italy. I enjoy the enthusiastic people on the side there.”
Etna
The first serious mountain stage is already on Tuesday when the peloton climbs the volcanic mountain, Etna. This time they’ll climb the side that ends at the Rifugio Sapienza, a 22.8-kilometer climb at an average of 6.5 percent. “The cards are immediately laid on the table there. I will probably get opportunities, but I don’t know if that is Tuesday.”
Jos van Emden
The atmosphere at the Jumbo-Visma team is relaxed. That’s what Jos van Emden says, who lives in Lanaken. The team has a man in the top three with Tom Dumoulin. It is clear to Van Emden whether we can expect something from Dumoulin in the mountains. “He really has to show that.” On Monday, the peloton will fly over to Sicily for two stages. In the stage after that, the Giro arrives on mainland Italy. The race starts in the deep south and finishes after 192 kilometers in Scalea.