After suffering in the finale of stage 15 and losing two minutes to Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), and over a minute and a half to the rest of the primary favourites, Dominico Pozzovivo (Colnago-CSF Inox) will try to rebound after the rest day.
The Giro del Trentino champion now sits 13th overall, three minutes 17 seconds behind Rodriguez in the overall classification. On his day off, Pozzovivo spoke about the last few days on the bike leading into the second rest day. The Italian also named Rodriguez as the man to beat on the way to Milan.
Most were confined to the indoors during Monday’s rest day, with poor weather conditions outside and not many willing to risk their health in the chilly weather.
“I spent the day off without doing much riding, mainly because the weather was not good,” Pozzovivo said according to Tuttobiciweb. “I took advantage to get massage and rest, especially because the last few days were really tough. [Sunday] was a bad day for me because I suffered a lot from the cold and I wasn’t able to eat normally. The Giro is not over though, and I hope to redeem myself.”
With the most decisive mountain stages still remaining in the third week, Pozzovivo was eyeing certain stages he could use to gain back time. He remained optimistic that better days would be ahead, and perhaps others would suffer in the difficult final week.
“The stage to Cortina d’Ampezzo [stage 17, with 4 categorized climbs and an 18km descent to the finish – ed.] is one I really like, but it might not do for me because the finish is too far from the Passo Giau, which is the last climb,” added Pozzovivo. “Maybe the next day, on the Alpe di Pampeago, I can find redemption after the tough day [Sunday].
“However, I believe that any captain can have a bad day in the Giro d’Italia. All I can say is that I was lucky, after all, because I’ve already had my bad day. Maybe others will have it too. The team has all been very good, especially [Gianluca] Brambilla, who stood by me when he could have stayed with the very best at the end of the day.
After taking second on stage 15 and putting more time into his rivals, Rodriguez went back into the pink jersey and cemented his status as perhaps the top rider in the race. Pozzovivo acknowledged the power of ‘Purito.’
“I think Rodriguez is the man to beat,” Pozzovivo admitted, “and the fact that he will begin the third week of the Giro in the pink jersey can only be an advantage for him. Being the leader in the earlier weeks could be a problem, but now it will be a stimulus for him. I also believe that he is motivated and he has proven himself on the climbs that count.”
The Giro d’Italia continues Tuesday with a 173-kilometer stage, with an uphill finish in Falzes that could in fact suit either Rodriguez or Pozzovivo.