As expected, the Giro Next Gen 2024 ended with a super intense stage, featuring attacks from the very first kilometre, with even GC riders involved, and then a fierce chase on the 13 fugitives who, in the end, by about twenty seconds, managed to fight their way to the finish line in Forlimpopoli. Victory went to Matthew Brennan, who made the most of the great work of teammates Pietro Mattio and Darren Van Bekkum, who were in the breakaway with him.

Brennan is a first year, born in 2005, who as a kid alternated between track and MTB and is now a very fast rider, who can have his say in the sprints as well as in more undulating classics. His dream is the Tour of Flanders, because it is a race “where you can’t hide” and his idol “is Michal Kwiatkowski, because he is a winner but also a great team player“.

Further back, Jarno Widar defended his Maglia Rosa tooth and nail: after remaining alone due to the great effort made by all his teammates to chase down the various attackers – in particular Florian Kajamini, who made a move in the early phases of the stage, and then Léo Bisiaux, who eventually joined the successful breakaway – Widar took it upon himself to pull the peloton along. “It’s one of my faults, I struggle to stay in my place in the peloton, I spend a lot of energy, but today I had to do it” he said after the finish.

His embrace with teammate Milan Donie – probably his best domestique this week, who arrived at the finish line after eight minutes – said it all. Widar, already at the podium area, came out and ran towards him: both burst into tears, a release after a week of battles chasing the pink dream.

“It’s a strange feeling, I can’t explain it in words, too fucking good… – said Widar rather bluntly –. I owe everything to the team, 99% of this victory is theirs, only 1% is mine. Celebrating? I have a plane to catch in a few hours, unfortunately there is no time. But I will put this trophy in my room, next to my bed”.