CYCLING – Team Bahrain Victorious closed an unforgettable Giro d’Italia in Rome yesterday with Afonso Eulalio securing the Maglia Bianca for best young rider and finishing sixth overall, bringing three weeks of racing to an emotional end for the team.
The final stage, a 131-kilometre circuit in the Italian capital, brought the peloton through the city for the traditional closing day of the Corsa Rosa. After the celebration of the final jerseys, the race ended with a sprint finish, won by Jonathan Milan of Lidl-Trek ahead of Giovanni Lonardi of Team Polti VisitMalta and Paul Penhoet of Groupama-FDJ.
For Bahrain Victorious, Rome marked the end of a Giro filled with some of the team’s biggest moments in recent grand tours. Eulalio wore the Maglia Rosa as overall leader for nine days, led the young rider classification from stage five all the way to yesterday’s final podium in Rome, and ended the race as winner of the Maglia Bianca.
In his second Giro d’Italia, the Portuguese rider also finished sixth overall after defending the white jersey through the final mountain stages.
“This Giro is something I will never forget,” said Eulalio yesterday. “After such a hard final week, and especially after the stage yesterday, I was not feeling at my best and I was not always confident that it would be possible. But the whole team believed in me, even when I had doubts, and that gave me a lot of strength to keep fighting until the end.
“Damiano (Caruso) was very important for me. I told him that if he felt better than me, he could ride his own race, but he said he would stay with me whatever happened. That gave me a lot of confidence in a very difficult moment.
“To finish this Giro with the Maglia Bianca, after wearing the Maglia Rosa for so many days, and with both me and Damiano in the top 10 overall, is something very special. We suffered a lot during these three weeks, but we arrived in Rome with something beautiful for the team.”
The team’s race had changed shape early in the Giro after losing Santiago Buitrago, who had started as Bahrain Victorious’ general classification (GC) leader. From that moment, the team adapted around new opportunities and continued to race aggressively, with repeated most-combative prizes across the three weeks reflecting the way the riders stayed present in the race.
For Caruso, the finish in Rome carried a deeper meaning. In his final Giro d’Italia, the Italian reached the capital with a top-10 finish overall, still playing an important role in the race and bringing experience, calm, and leadership to a team fighting for one of the biggest results of the three weeks.
It was a final appearance at his home grand tour that reflected the qualities that have defined so much of his career.
“I could never have imagined a more beautiful ending to my story with the Giro d’Italia,” said Caruso. “These have been three weeks full of intense emotions, from the first day all the way to the final stage here in Rome, and to experience it in this setting was truly something magical.
“Receiving the most combative rider prize at the Giro d’Italia means a huge amount to me, even more so being awarded here in Rome – in such a special place – and being able to celebrate together with Afonso and his Maglia Bianca victory. If we also add Alec Segaert’s stage victory, I can say it has been a wonderful Giro for the whole team.”
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