Without Graat, but with Patryk Goszczurny in the spotlight, the Dutch squad started the stage in Lodi. The 20-year-old Pole wore the mountain jersey and aimed to collect more points along the way, but that plan did not succeed. “When a group of five riders went clear, Patryk was boxed in. He later tried to bridge across and eventually came very close, but just fell short”, sports director Robert Wagner explains.

“We also knew that with the Italians targeting the mountain jersey yesterday, it would be difficult to defend it today. Everything would have had to go our way”, Wagner continues. The sports director emphasized that the team’s focus was on the general classification. “We’re here with Anton aiming for a strong overall result. This was a very risky stage. There was a lot of wind, which made the peloton quite nervous.”

The five riders in yellow-and-black stayed alert in the hilly section and kept Schiffer well positioned at the front of the peloton throughout the day. At the flat finish in Massalengo, it looked like the sprinters would fight for the stage win. However, Filippo D’Aiuto surprised the fast men and claimed his first professional victory. “Our goal was to bring Anton to the finish without losing time, and we achieved that.”

Team Visma | Lease a Bike now turns its attention to the upcoming stages. Several tough climbs await on Friday and Sunday. “Hopefully we’ll see a strong Anton again, just like in the first two days. Alongside Anton, we have a young group here, and we’re deliberately encouraging them to take their chances. We saw that with Patryk’s mountain jersey, but also in the hard work from our riders for our leader today. That’s something I really enjoy”, Wagner concludes.