He was in no mood for gifts. Primoz Roglic has claimed the Walls Stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico as well, securing his victory in the 2023 edition of the “Corsa dei Due Mari”. After yesterday’s headwind, fans were curious to see the big names face each other without any nasty environmental factors and to understand the real values on the field. The outcome, however, did not change a bit: the captain of Jumbo-Visma had more fuel and better timing than everyone else and the hat-trick was served, the first since Oscar Freire in 2005.
Let’s be honest, today that was by no means a foregone conclusion: a stage like this, without a metre of flat and featuring countless walls, would have made it anything but easy to keep things under control and make sure no one could sneak away. All the more so after Wilco Kelderman’s crash, which deprived Roglic of his most valuable ally on the climbs. Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-hansgrohe) was the one who tried with the most conviction, attempting to get away before the steep final walls of Costa del Borgo and Via Olimpia. The Russian had a delay of 21 seconds in the general classification and Roglic, with Van Aert slightly fatigued after shattering the peloton on the previous lap, struggled to organise a proper chase. Fortunately for him, Ineos Grenadiers and UAE Emirates had the same goal as him, and with around 6 km to go they managed to close in on Vlasov.
