Beaming broadly and clearly enjoying the moment, Marco Pinotti soaked up the sensation of being crowned the first leader of the 2011 Giro d’Italia at the finish in Torino yesterday. The city was thronged with crowds, both for the Giro itself, for the celebration of 150 years of Italian unity and also for the Alpini festival, which celebrates the elite mountain fighting group of the Italian army created in 1872.
The atmosphere was one of a giant street party, and the Italian received plenty of cheers when he donned the Maglia Rosa.
“It is a special feeling being in Torino, first capital of Italy, 150 years of unity, with the Festival of Alpini,” he told VeloNation after the stage in a video interview. “A lot of people here were calling my name. The team did a perfect job. Every member of the team deserves this success. I know it hasn’t been easy for the others to let me pass [the finish line] first, I thank them very much.”
Pinotti has been Italian time trial champion five times and a very valued member of the HTC Highroad team. It was little surprise that the squad decided he should be first across the line, thus taking the Maglia Rosa if the team won, but he remained as modest as ever.
Pinotti wore the jersey in 2007, taking it thanks to a breakaway on stage seven. He wore it for the following three stages, but said yesterday that this felt more rewarding for him. “The other one was like a little bit of a surprise, it was unexpected. This one was planned and it is more special.
“I was feeling the pressure before the start, and even more this morning when we decided I would pass [the line] first and we saw the course. I felt the pressure that something could go wrong, but in the end everything was perfect. It hasn’t been as easy as it looked, but I am really proud of my team-mates.”
Pinotti finished ninth overall last year and is once again targeting a top ten placing in the race. There are many, many kilometres ahead, but things have started on a perfect note for the affable Italian.