Koen Bouwman made up for the disappointment of his captains, Tom Dumoulin and Tobias Foss, on Mount Etna by winning stage 7 of the 2022 Giro d’Italia from Diamante to Potenza with the help of Dumoulin as Jumbo-Visma outnumbered the other breakaway riders. It was a 1-2 for Dutch riders in Potenza as Bauke Mollema crossed the line in second place. Italy’s Davide Formolo took third. Lennard Kämna, second on GC, won the sprint of the peloton for sixth place but couldn’t dethrone Juan Pedro Lopez, who remains in the Maglia Rosa for the fourth day running.
Speaking in the press conference, the stage winner, Bouwman, said: “I don’t have any words to describe how happy I am. Winning a stage in a Grand Tour is unbelievable. I didn’t think of my two previous losses when I was away at the Giro. When Tom [Dumoulin] came back with 2km to go, I asked him to ride hard so nobody could attack. It was such a big chance in my career; I’m super happy to have made it. As soon as I came back after being dropped in the climb, I believed it was possible to win and in the end it was. It was important for us to do something nice after the disappointment of Etna. It’s nice that Tom switched to a new tactic today. We’ll see more from him in breakaways and the ITT in Verona on the last day. My victory here will last forever. Wearing the Maglia Azzurra tomorrow will be the cherry on the cake. I like fishing and today I caught a big fish.”
The Maglia Rosa, Juan Pedro Lopez, said: “Our goal was to support Mollema, so we didn’t have to take the responsibility to lead the peloton. It was my first time in this part of Italy; I only knew the course from the roadbook. Tomorrow it’ll be another hard stage in Naples. I’m very happy to wear the Maglia Rosa already for two days, three maybe, I don’t remember… I enjoy every moment. It was a hard stage today, especially at the beginning but not a climbers’ stage. That’s why the GC riders wait for the Blockhaus on Sunday. Our team’s goal is clear: we want to do GC with Giulio Ciccone.”
2022 Giro d’Italia: Stage 7 Brief Results
- Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) – 196km in 5h’12’30″, average speed 37.632km/h
- Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo) at 2”
- Davide Formolo (UAE Team Emirates) s.t.
General Classification After Stage 7:
- Juan Pedro Lopez Perez (Trek-Segafredo)
- Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe) at 38″
- Rein Taaramäe (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) at 58”
Jerseys
- Maglia Rosa, leader of the General Classification, sponsored by Enel – Juan Pedro Lopez Perez (Trek-Segafredo)
- Maglia Ciclamino, leader of the Points Classification, dedicated to ‘Made in Italy’ – Arnaud Démare (Groupama-FDJ)
- Maglia Azzurra, leader of the Gran Premio della Montagna (KOM), sponsored by Banca Mediolanum – Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma)
- Maglia Bianca, Best Young Rider, sponsored by Intimissimi Uomo – Juan Pedro Lopez Perez (Trek-Segafredo) – worn by Mauri Vansevenant (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team)
Tomorrow’s Stage – Napoli-Napoli, 153KM
This challenging and intense stage, raced entirely on urban roads, sets off by passing over the finish line. The route climbs up the Posillipo hill, heading to Bacoli and taking a loop along the coast. Past Bacoli, the riders will cover the Monte di Procida circuit (19km) four times. The roads here are well surfaced but narrow, with a succession of bends and constantly changing gradients. Past Torregaveta, in Baia, the route kicks up at a 14% gradient to Lago Lucino, where the riders will leave the circuit at the end of the last lap. The route goes back to Bacoli and Posillipo along the same route, with a long descent down the Via Petrarca leading to the final kilometres in the city centre.
Final kilometres
The last three pan-flat kilometres run eastwards along the Via Dohrn and Via Caracciolo. At the last kilometre, the route takes a U‑turn at a roundabout and returns along the Via Caracciolo all the way to the finish. The home straight is 900 metres long.
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