"There is nowhere to hide": Vingegaard prepares the first blow of the Giro at Blockhaus

The sixth stage of the Giro d'Italia barely left any changes among the favorites, but it did confirm something important within Visma Lease a Bike. The Dutch team is not worried about the 6:22 that Jonas Vingegaard is behind leader Afonso Eulálio and believes that the race is now entering a completely different scenario. After several nervous days, rain, falls, and constant tension, the Giro arrives this Friday at its first major mountain finish at Blockhaus and there they expect the Dane to start making a difference.

The Giro enters Vingegaard's territory and the Dane warns before Blockhaus

Vingegaard will face the seventh stage in fifteenth place overall, still far from the lead held by the Portuguese from Bahrain Victorious after the huge escape in the rain that allowed him to wear pink in stage 5. But within Visma, there was never a sense of alarm. After that day, the team explained that their priority had been to protect their leader in particularly dangerous stages and that the “real Giro” had not yet begun.

This message fits perfectly with the statements made by both Vingegaard and sports director Marc Reef before stage 6. Both point directly to Blockhaus as the first real major test of the race.

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“Blockhaus is a climb where you can't hide,” Vingegaard explained. “It will definitely be a stage for the general classification men. Who knows, maybe we will fight for the stage win, that would be nice too.”

The final climb has little to do with the explosive efforts seen so far. It will be 13.6 kilometers at an average of 8.4%, a long and steady ascent where differences can appear quickly. And precisely that type of terrain is historically the one that suits the Dane best.

Although recovering more than six minutes on Eulálio seems impossible in a single day, Vingegaard also does not believe that the Portuguese will immediately disappear from the fight for the maglia rosa. “He has a good advantage and he is also a good rider. You’re not going to take six minutes from him in a single day. I think he will be able to maintain the lead for a while,” explained the leader of Visma.

Marc Reef was more emphatic in openly acknowledging that the team arrives at Blockhaus with the intention of starting to move the race. “It’s a very important stage because it’s the first real mountain finish and we expect to make a difference. We want to do it,” assured the Dutch sports director in statements to Cyclingnews.

At Visma, they believe that the profile particularly favors Vingegaard. Reef highlighted that the average gradients of this Giro are tougher than in recent editions and believes that this plays in favor of a light rider like the Dane. “It’s a long and steeper climb than many of the ones we’ve seen lately. And for a small and light rider like Jonas, that’s an advantage.”

That’s why within the peloton, the message from Visma is interpreted almost as a warning. The real Giro, the one that is decided in the big mountains, starts this Friday. And Vingegaard seems ready to open it up.