Jonas Puts His Giro Rivals on Notice | Giro d'Italia 2026 | THEMOVE+

Summary

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THEMOVE+ Podcast Summary

Episode: Jonas Puts His Giro Rivals on Notice | Giro d'Italia 2026
Date: May 9, 2026
Host: Spencer Martin (with Johan Bruyneel)
Theme: In-depth analysis of Stage 2 of the 2026 Giro d’Italia, a dramatic day featuring a massive crash, tactical intrigue, and standout performances from rising stars, with pointed discussion on GC (general classification) implications and sprint dynamics.

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Episode Overview

Main Topic:
A detailed breakdown of Stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia 2026. The hosts analyze the impact of a major crash that reshuffled the GC favorites, Jonas Vingegaard’s forceful attack on the final climb, and the surprise victory by Guillermo Tomas Silva, the first Uruguayan ever to participate (and win a stage) in the Giro. The conversation blends expert race insight, rider assessment, and predictions for Stage 3.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Jonas Vingegaard’s Dominance and Aggression

• Spencer and Johan highlight Jonas Vingegaard's clear strength over his rivals, despite not taking the stage win.
• Johan Bruyneel:

  “Jonas already showed today that he's stronger than everybody else... they kind of accept that he's above everybody else.” (00:00, 12:21)

• Jonas’ attack with 1 km to go on the final climb was noted for its dominance, even if he didn’t fully drop all rivals, signaling that he’s physically on another level.
• Notably, Jonas’ move was likely as much about staying out of trouble following the crash as it was about winning the stage:

  “The best defense is the attack. It's simple, you know.” (15:50)

• Data: Jonas' 94-second acceleration on the climb averaged 540 watts—over 9 w/kg.

  “So he's probably pretty fit, as you say.” (13:25)

2. The Stage-Defining Crash (23km to Go)

• Major crash takes out key GC riders: Adam Yates, Jay Vine (abandon), Marc Soler, and much of UAE.
  • Neutralizes the stage for 5 km, game-changer for the GC landscape.
• Johan:

  “The big crash...that's a game changer in this stage and in the Giro.” (03:04)

• Only some affected riders were able to recover (e.g., Felix Gall, Derek Gee made it back). For others—especially UAE—their GC ambitions ended.
• The impact of such accidents on team morale and rider programs is discussed; some may rebound for the Tour de France, but it's a major blow.

3. Surprise Winner: Guillermo Tomas Silva (Uruguay, XDS Astana)

• Breakthrough victory for the 24-year-old, in his first Giro (and for Uruguay).
• Astana executes a smart, sudden leadout in the sprint; their faith in Silva evident as Scaroni sacrifices for him.
• Johan:

  "First participation of an Uruguayan rider in the Giro and first win, also in pink." (20:23)

• Emotional moment: Silva’s father, present at the finish, gave a heartfelt interview. (21:18)

4. Other Standouts and GC Shakeup

• Leonard Van Eetvelt: Surprise on the climb, labeled by Johan as impressive but likely not a true GC contender for the high mountains.
• Giulio Pellizzari: Looks like Jonas’ biggest rival, but even he admits, "it's Jonas, you know, it's Jonas." (12:21)
• Ineos’ Tactical Play: Egan Bernal moves up via bonus seconds in the “Red Bull Kilometer,” benefiting from others’ hesitance.

5. Course Design and Conditions

• Hosts discuss how wet, narrow, and tricky roads influenced the day's chaos:
  • “If it's bad weather in the first stages of a Grand Tour, everybody's fresh, everybody wants to be in the front. These things tend to happen.” (07:14)
• Criticism tempered by acknowledgment that bad weather exacerbates inherent risks, especially early in Grand Tours.

6. Power, Sprint Analysis, and The Points Jersey

• Deep dive on rider power outputs in sprints and climbs:
  • Milan: 2010w max sprint (despite underperforming); Monier: 1710w (approx. 70kg rider).
  • Comparisons with past legends (Cipollini: 1800w).
• Discussion about Chiclamino (points) jersey standings:
  • Paul Monier has a big lead due to stage finishes, questioning the weighting of intermediate sprints.
  • “You might as well not even—it's 12 points for first, but you're almost never going to get there before the breakaway...” (27:53)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Johan Bruyneel (on Jonas):
  “I think Jonas is a level above everybody, including Pellizzari.” (12:21)
• Spencer Martin (on the emotion of Silva’s win):
  “Very emotional interview. Very nice.” (21:18)
• Johan (on the crash impact):
  “It's never good to crash out of a Grand Tour, especially in the beginning. That changed the whole dynamics..." (04:50)
• On Astana’s win:
  “They obviously didn't plan it, but they seemed to not be taken aback by, 'Oh, we're now sprinting for the win.' Astana knew exactly what to do.” (09:37)
• On the perils and toll of racing:
  “It's wet, it's chilly. You're out there by yourself pulling all day and then you crash...” (19:09)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:00-00:40: Jonas' strength on the last climb
• 01:00-02:14: Recap of stage, details of big crash (Adam Yates, Jay Vine out)
• 03:04-06:51: Analysis of crash consequences, how race was neutralized
• 07:14-08:25: Discussion of course, weather, early Grand Tour chaos
• 09:04-10:32: Guillermo Silva’s win—profile and team tactics
• 12:21-13:25: Pellizzari as Jonas’ top rival; Jonas' clear superiority
• 13:25-15:50: Analysis of Vingegaard's attack (purpose, power data, tactics)
• 18:09-19:46: Ineos/NetCompany bonus seconds, changes to the team landscape
• 20:23-21:18: Significance and emotion of Silva’s history-making win
• 27:37-28:40: Points competition discussion, skewed rewards for finishes
• 30:10-32:39: Sprint power data analysis (Milan, Monier, Cipollini references)

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Stage 3 Preview and Predictions

• Profile: 175km to Sofia with a mid-stage 9km climb (5%), expected bunch sprint finish.
• Favorites:
  • Johan picks Paul Monier, citing leadout strength, current form, and Chiclamino jersey motivation.
  • Spencer goes with Tobias Lund Andresen (Denmark), speculating cold weather may impact rivals.
• Points of Interest:
  • Which sprinters will be affected by residual injuries from the crash?
  • Can Lidl-Trek and Milan rebound amid a lackluster start to their season?

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Closing Thoughts

• Big Winners: Jonas Vingegaard (form and control), Guillermo Silva (breakthrough victory)
• Big Losers: UAE Team (crash takes out GC hopes), sprinters derailed by the wreck
• Storylines to Watch: Will Jonas’ dominance be challenged? Will any sprinter or GC dark horse emerge in coming days? And, can teams adapt strategies as attrition takes hold early in the race?

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This episode epitomizes THEMOVE’s blend of deep cycling insight, human drama, and tactical debate, with extra focus on the day’s tough luck and unexpected triumphs.

Transcript

[Johan Berniel]

We saw already in 1km, in 1km of hard climbing, only 1km, we saw that Jonas was stronger than everybody else because he did drop Belizari. Belize came back, you know, but anyway, it's to be seen, you know, if. If Adam Yates wouldn't have crashed and, you know, some others. But anyway, yeah, Jonas already showed today that he's stronger than everybody else. And I think, actually, speaking of, you know, listening to the. To the interview, Penizari gave an interview. You know, he said, yeah, I'm feeling good. My legs are great. But, you know, it's. It's Jonas, you know, it's Jonas. So they kind of accept that he's above everybody else.

[Spencer Martin]

Everybody, welcome back to the Move Plus, I'm Spencer Martin. I'm here with Johan Berniel. We are breaking down stage two of the Giro d' Italia and then previewing tomorrow's stage three, Stage two was one unexpected winner, Guillermo Thomas Silva from Uruguay. On XDS Astana. We had a little bit of GC action. Jonas Vinegard attacked on the final climb. Tough final climb. I guess as tough as we hyped it up. We looked at the profile yesterday. Johan, he got away with Julio Pelizari and Leonard Vanet felt gap. I mean, the attack was impressive. The gap was never that big, though. And they were reeled in by a large and growing chase group, about what, 30, let's say 31 or 32 riders. Jan Christian from UAE bridged up at the last second. Kind of broke a little bit of the cohesion in the front group when he did that. And then right when the. The catch happened inside the last couple hundred kilometers, couple hundred meters and XDS asana, Christian Scron went to the front, led out his teammate. They get the win. Tudor was second with Florian Stork. Julio Chon, your pick, was third. My pick, Jonathan Orbias, nowhere to be seen. We won't talk about that because we'll just blame it on the crash. There was a crash with 23k to go. Poor Ryan Mullen from NSN pulled all day for Corbin Strong. And then with 23k to go, when the GC teams were moving up, there's a crash on the left or right

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

side of the road, outside of the

[Spencer Martin]

road, depending on how you were looking at the screen or being in the

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

peloton, takes out a good chunk of uae. Adam Yates goes down, loses a lot of time. Jay vine crashes out. Mark Solaire crashes out. Poor Jay vine, by the way. I think this is his third time crashing out of a race. Every Time he comes back, he seems to get injured. It's really unfortunate. The race was neutralized with about 20k to go. Denaturalized with 16k to go right before the start of the Red Bull kilometer. So Ineos kind of. It seemed like people were caught off guard by this. Ineos gets six bonus seconds for Ego Murnall, four for Timon Ironsman. Connor Swift on Ineos smartly takes two seconds, so no one else gets any bonus seconds. And then Jonas was kind of out of position going into the final climb. Visma had one rider left. Gets him to the front. He attacks. Looks impressive. What are your impressions? What. What are your key takeaways, Johan, of the stage?

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah, well, Spencer first takeaway is, for me, is the big crash. I think that's a game changer in this stage and in the. In the Giro, you know, nothing really happened. We had the typical attack. Two riders from Balti visit Malta, attack from kilometer zero.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

One of the guys was from yesterday too.

[Johan Berniel]

Yesterday? Yeah, yeah. What's his name?

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah. And it was like a. It was a long stage, almost five, almost six hours. And he's out there the whole time.

[Johan Berniel]

So impressive kilometers.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

So

[Johan Berniel]

basically it was. I guess it was NSN who was doing all the work. They were betting on Corbin Strong. And, you know, looking at the way this stage developed without the crash, you know, maybe Corbin Strong would have had a decent chance to win.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[Johan Berniel]

You know, because it was. He would have made it over this climb, I think. But anyways, the big crash, I think was. Was my main. Main event of the day. It was completely in the front. I think the third Ford rider went down. It was UAE basically took out the whole of his team. I don't know who it was who went down. It was. It was, you know, a slight right hand in a downhill, and it was completely in the front of the peloton, as you said. Jay vine has to abandon Mark Soler has to abandon Adam Yates was really, really hurt. I mean, and loses 30, 13 minutes. So, yeah, really unfortunate for. For UAE. That's. That's their zero there done. You know, I mean, they can't do GC anymore.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[Johan Berniel]

Now we'll see. I mean, and plus they lose two really strong riders with Jay vine and Mark Soler shows, you know, that the preparation of a long period, like, for example, Santiago Bi. Drago, his whole season was based on the DC in the. In the Giro. He also had to abandon on stage two. It now. Now depends, you know, if these guys can recover. Some guys recover from these crashes and then basically have a, you know, change their program. Then they put them in the Tour de France and they have a great Tour. There's always a silver lining. But anyways, it's never good to crash out out of a Grand Tour, especially in the beginning. That changed the whole dynamics of the stage, I think, as you said, was briefly neutralized for about five kilometers. I think the main reason was. Well, first of all, it's a decision of the race direction and the UCI commissaires together. Usually when it's a big crash like this, even in the final of a race, I think the main reason was the ambulances. They probably needed at least three ambulances to take care of people. So they have to basically, then I guess there's backup ambulances. And then they also waited until the majority of the riders who had crashed were back. But you kind of know that that's just a courtesy decision. You know, if you went down really hard there and you get back, it was just before the bottom of the climb, it's game over. You can't come back. The only rider, a GC rider who I saw who went down and then came back is Felix Column, who was still in pretty good position. Derek G also went down pretty hard, made it back, but got dropped. You know, if. If it happened so. So late in the stage and at these speeds. I don't know. Was it wet when they were crashing? Was it wet?

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

It was, yeah. It was quite rainy.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

And it was downhill into a corner in the rain.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah, yeah. Two stages, two big crashes, man. That's not a good start of the Giro. It's not great for Bulgari either, or Bulgaria. Bulgari.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

I don't know if it's Bulgaria's fault. I. I thought. I mean, yesterday was probably too narrow. Today I thought the course was pretty good.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah, of course, it's not their fault. It's not their fault. But. But, yeah, things like this happen. Especially is. Listen, if it's bad weather in the first stages of a Grand Tour, everybody's fresh, everybody wants to be in the front. These things tend to happen. But then, listen, finally the race goes on. You know, too bad for the guys who stayed behind. That's, you know, that's cycling. And we still saw a really good race on that climb. It was actually, I think, a lot harder than people expected. And, yeah, Visma let it out with Piganzoli, was. I think it was Piganzoli who was setting the pace, like, forever on that client. Until finally, Jonas. I Wouldn't say it was an attack, it was an acceleration. He didn't come out of the saddle in his first, in his first acceleration, which is something that we, that I've seen already several times this year.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

You know, both him and Pagachar do this now.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah, yeah. So I don't know if it's something that they trained on, but it works.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah, whatever it is, it's working.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah. And only Pelizari and Leonard Van Etfeld from Lotto Intermarshe could follow. Really impressed with von itself by the way. And it looked like these three guys were gonna sprint for the win but, but finally there was, you know, a regroupment in the last kilometer and yeah, I mean what a win for this guy, you know. Guillermo Tomas Silva from Uruguay, first year on xds. Astana comes from Kaharal. I checked his result a bit. He had a few good results already last year and even the year before he recently won the overall of the Tour of. What is it? Hainan? Is it that in that.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah, yeah. Tour of Hainan.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah. I mean it's not a high level race, but still as a sprinter, you know, winning two stages and the gc, yeah, it was not the fierce competition but still he came in, in, in great shape. And on top of that it shows that the guys really had faith in him because a guy like Scaroni, as soon as he saw that Silva was in the, in the main group, he didn't hesitate and that did an incredible lead out. So they knew that he was fast and that he had a chance.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah, yeah. I mean it's super, super impressive and it's, I mean we should also mention Jan Yan, Chris, Kristen with that late bridge was incredibly impressive and then kind of killed the group because once he's up there, they were working really well together. He's up there, it, he's, there's then attacks. You kind of know what's going to happen. I don't think the ticker was right as we're showing 21 seconds. I don't think that was right. They were never more than. It seemed like seven or eight seconds behind. But I was just, I was impressed by how Astana, like Exeus Astana, they just seemed, they obviously didn't plan it because how would you plan this? But they seemed to not be taken aback by oh, we're now sprinting for the win. A lot of guys seem like, I don't like even Jonas was like, I don't really know what to do right now. And Astana knew Exactly what to do. Get to the front win tutor misses out on a win. I thought Julia Ciccone looks pretty good.

[Johan Berniel]

But what do you, what do you

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

think about Leonard Van Etfeld as a GC guy? I had not had this in my calculation and then the way he looked today on that climb was pretty impressive.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah, he, I mean, I saw an interview from him after the race and he, he said, I mean, I think he had, he had some bad luck already. He, I think he don't know if he crashed hard in down under or something.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Then he was at UA Tour. Did he have some issue there?

[Johan Berniel]

He was up there. He was up there in a few stages. I think one stage he was third or fourth. And then he must have had another issue because he only came back into action in Fleche Brabanton. But listen, he's a good rider. You know, he won, he won UAE Tour a couple of years ago, I think, and he also won the Tour of Wang Qi, the famous high level

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Tour of Wang Qi in the same year. The double.

[Johan Berniel]

It's a world Tour race, so we were joking.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

But that is impressive. To win UAE Tour in Guangji. I mean, they couldn't be further apart on the calendar. That's a strong year.

[Johan Berniel]

So he, he said that today his goal was to get the pink jersey. So he had a lot of confidence. Must feel that he's in great shape. Probably, you know, like he, he's, he looks like he's one of those riders who's really data driven, knows his numbers and, and knows what he can do and what he cannot do. Now as a GC rider, I, I don't think so. He may be, I mean, he may be up there for a few stages, but I think in the high mountains it's going to be hard for him.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

And what do you think about Palazzari?

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah, definitely going to be the number one rival for Jonas. Although I think that Jonas is a level above everybody, including Parizari.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

It's hard to know, I mean, just based on what we've seen. Hard to know because he didn't drop him. But that's not even a good climb for him, really.

[Johan Berniel]

Not. Not really. I mean, you know, we saw already in 1km, in 1km of hard climbing, only 1km, we saw that Jonas was stronger than everybody else because he did drop Belizari. Belize came back, you know. But anyway, it's to be seen, you know, if Adam Yates wouldn't have crashed and, you know, some others. But anyway, yeah, Jonas already showed today that he's stronger than everybody else. And I think actually speaking of, you know, listening to the, to the interview, Penizati gave an interview, you know, he said, yeah, I'm feeling good, my legs are great. But you know, it's Jonas, you know, it's Jonas. So they kind of accept that he's above everybody else.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

I don't know if we said this, he had a like 94 second acceleration, 540 watts. So at the, at the zero you get real power. You don't have to estimate it because you said in the pre show RCS has a deal with the teams to get their power data. It's super interesting. So that's like over nine watts per kilo. So he's probably, probably pretty fit, as you say. Question for you though, why, why did this happen? Why did he attack? What's, what's to be gained by this?

[Johan Berniel]

Well, first, I think the main. Listen, the main objective of Fisma today, contrary to yesterday, was stay out of trouble. I mean yesterday they wanted to stay out of trouble by being in the back. Today it was completely the opposite. They were always in the front. Every single downhill they took in the front. And today it's. It was clear also once Jonas, I mean after the crash he got a bit out of position, didn't really. I mean it was clear that he, by his own strength, he came to the front, he had Pig Anzoli setting the pace. It's to stay out of trouble. What's better to stay out of trouble than, you know, attacking and being with a small group? Because imagine they come over that climb, I mean that downhill was not, not easy. It was not. It was tricky and especially already with what happened, you know, they also feel the state of the road, you know, this. It's slippery. There was dirt on some corners, you know, some, some reliefs. Even on the uphill you could see in the hairpins. They had to slow down because it was, it was. There was not much grip on the road. So I think it was more out of precaution. And yeah, I mean he did one acceleration, then you're safe. And at the same time, listen, if, then if you can win, try to win the stage, why not? I think he, he wanted to stay ahead and try to win the stage, which I think he had a chance with those three guys. Yeah, yeah.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

I mean, I don't know if he beats Van Etfeld if they go to line together. He's a pretty punchy guy.

[Johan Berniel]

He's not slow either, you know, but his eye is also.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Well, that. Well then That. I mean, you. I think you're right. I'm just saying this to say this, but I think you're right that getting over the climb in front of the group probably is the safest thing, because then you're picking your own line. Having said that, let's say he pulls them to the. Or he works. They get to the line, he gets third in that group, they get time bonuses. Do you feel differently about the decision? No, no, no.

[Johan Berniel]

Jonas is not going to need any bonification to win this Giro.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah, I mean, I could be out of my mind.

[Johan Berniel]

I think.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

I mean, I think we said this yesterday. He's only. Since 2020, he's only lost to two riders. Tadipogachar David go do in stage racing. I'm not counting Subcoose. So Pugacho's not here. He'll probably win.

[Johan Berniel]

I don't know.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

I just. I thought it was. I thought it was kind of interesting. Like, if he pulls them to the line and they outspread him and he loses time, is that a good decision?

[Johan Berniel]

Spencer, you know, you stay with your. His team had everything under control, and then once he was out of teammates, then the best defense is the attack. It's simple, you know.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Well, he was at. Yeah, well, he dropped his teammate when he attacked. I didn't love that.

[Johan Berniel]

His teammate was obviously setting a pace for him to, you know, to launch an attack, I think. And it was, you know, it was 2 kilometers, 2 really hard kilometers. I would say almost 3 kilometers really hard. So, um, I was actually surprised that it took so long for. For. For. For to have some separation in that group. They stayed together quite a long time.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah. Or back. So he probably used a lot of energy to do that. And then 3k for riders that good.

[Johan Berniel]

I mean.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

And yeah, I. I'm actually surprised he got the separation. He did because, you know, 3K, it was tough, but it's not easy to create, especially this early in a Grand Tour. Not easy to create separation on a GC group like that. He looks good. Looks like he's flying. Pizari looks very good. Leonard Vanette felt. Didn't see it coming. He looks great. The crash, obviously, is game changing for uae. They lose pretty much everything, oddly. They almost. They lose everything. They almost win the stage. That would have been quite the day for them. I. I think we're. We're probably all worse off that Adam Yates and Jay vine at or. Adam Yates is out of the GCJ vines, out of the race. Mark Solaire's out of the Race that. Yeah. Is not great for any of us watching. You're not, you're not too concerned about the Red Bull kilometer bonus seconds that Egan Bernal picked up? No. I was surprised nobody went for them. They were. Seemed like three seconds.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah, it was. Yeah. I mean, yeah, Bernal is now. I mean, because of that, he's now in. In third in gc.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

He's in third, six seconds ahead of everybody else except Baronsman, who's two seconds behind. Yeah.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

So. Yeah. So real winner of the day, Egan Bernal.

[Johan Berniel]

No.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

If you really think about it.

[Johan Berniel]

No, I mean, you know, I mean, listen. I mean, obviously it's clear that we have to get used to the name. No. Net Company. Net Company, right. NetCompany.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Net Company in AOS. Soon to be Net Company. Another company name, not in AOS.

[Johan Berniel]

So not company. Total Energies. What's going to happen with Total Energies? Well, you're saying there's an announcement that INEOS is disappearing from the name of the team.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Well, they're going to sell that spot to somebody that we don't know yet.

[Johan Berniel]

I.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Well, it can't be Total Energies this year because they already have a team name, so.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

You can't have two teams on there.

[Johan Berniel]

They're still on there.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah, they're still on there. I. It's not. I, I would imagine they'll try to fill the. The second title spot or the second naming spot. Total Energy stays on as a. Another partner and then you're getting close to UAE money. You hope. What's going to happen to uae? We don't know. Also, before we move on, we should say poor Ryan Mullen. Guy pulls all day for nsn. You know, the gap to the breakaway gets up to like five minutes. Someone's got to come to the front. NSN blinks, comes to the front, starts pulling, and then he crashes and NSN goes down. Not like that's the unglamorous side of being a professional cyclist. It's wet, it's chilly. You're out there by yourself pulling all day and then you crash and your team does not get what they wanted out of it.

[Johan Berniel]

Also, poor, poor Wilco Calderman, man.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah.

[Johan Berniel]

He had no clothes left on his back and, you know, and the cameraman was not very gentle. He would. Why.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Why did they do that?

[Johan Berniel]

That was not nice.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

They're always. Yeah, anytime that happens, the cameraman is all over it.

[Johan Berniel]

Ridiculous. I mean, come on.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah, I don't love that. Anything else on this stage before we move on?

[Johan Berniel]

Nothing's. Nothing particular I mean, listen. I mean, Guillermo Silva, man, I think we. We have to highlight, you know, this. This victory, you know, 24 years old, Uruguayan. First participation of an Uruguayan rider in the Giro and first win, also in pink.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Wait, wait. First ever participation?

[Johan Berniel]

That's what I heard. The first Uruguayan rider ever to participate in the Giro.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

I'm gonna look into this.

[Johan Berniel]

I can't think of many Uruguayan writers, man, in the past.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah, the only thing is, like, 50, 50 to 100 years ago, they were such a sports powerhouse that, yeah, maybe there's not, but they're like one of six countries to ever win the World Cup. But, yeah, maybe there is never.

[Johan Berniel]

Exactly.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

I don't know. Who knows? I don't know that much about Uruguay. Never, never made it across the river over the month of May.

[Johan Berniel]

He's going to be God in his country. I saw a very, very nice interview of his father, who was at the. At the. At the finish line behind barriers with a bunch of Uruguayan flags, and it was. It was really nice. Very emotional interview. Very nice.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah. That mean how. How did Aston even get him on the team?

[Johan Berniel]

He was on Kaharal and had a few good results. Had a few good results in those, you know, pro race, pro races or

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

whatever you call them, like dot pro second division races.

[Johan Berniel]

And then I'm gonna guess he probably has a good agent who has connections with. With those teams. But anyways, you know, it's clear that they saw the potential because, you know, you don't win a stage like this if you don't have any. Any potential. That's. It was a hard stage. You had to be there in this group to be able to.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

It's kind of a crazy. So he was at the Vuelta last year, the hardest stage of the race. The angler lou, he gets 36th, like, ahead of quite a few riders, actually.

[Johan Berniel]

I also saw he did Catalunya. Two of Catalunya. He did. I think he did two tops. Top 10 finishes, and then he DNS the stage after.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Interesting.

[Johan Berniel]

This year.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

You're right. Yeah. Top 10, both stages. The signs were there.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Third in his own road race championships.

[Johan Berniel]

He's been already a few times Uruguayan champion.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Interesting. Well, also Pigenzolo, you mentioned he was on Pulte visa Malta last year. What a pickup for Visma, by the way.

[Johan Berniel]

Great, great signing. Great signing.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah. He was key on that final climb. And that's a guy they just picked up from Pulte. Visit Malta. Somebody get. What's that guy? Mirko Miastri is. That was in the breakaway today. Maybe someone should sign him.

[Johan Berniel]

But.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

So that's it for the stage. We'll move on, predict.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah, yeah.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Okay. Let's take a quick break and then we'll be right back. Okay. Johan. Tomorrow's stage three, our last stage in Bulgaria. I actually think Bulgaria is kind of the. They're shining here. I'm more likely to visit Bulgaria than I was before, maybe for a cycling trip. So I guess that's the win.

[Johan Berniel]

This is 175, but the weather's not. I mean, if the weather would be better, they could showcase the country a lot.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

That's true. It is. You bring up a good point. It is a bit of a crapshoot when you do. The Giro is just the hardest weather beast of all the Grand Tours. Early May, I mean, especially in Europe, it's just very. Can be very wet even. There's. There's so many stages at the zero in Italy that are just. You're like, man, I would never go to this town. Look how miserable it looks. And it's the most beautiful town ever. You know, just because it's. It can be a really rainy, cold month. Tomorrow though, supposed to be beautiful weather in Sofia, the capital. 175 km finishing in the capital. We have a mountain pass mid stage, but 75k from the finish. I don't expect it to. To split anything up 9k long at 5%. There's a Red Bull kilometer sprint with 12k to go. 13k to go. I don't think that I actually, I'm curious to see what happens there. But then we go into Sophia for a sprint finish, presumably. Who do you think's going to win the stage? Do you think it's going to be a sprint or a breakaway?

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah, I think it's going to be a bunch sprint. Spencer. You know, there's this client. It's 9km, not a climb, not 5 average. So way too far from the finish to. To have somebody or a team, you know, increase the pace and try to drop. I mean, maybe. Maybe some teams with sprinters who can climb better could set a pace in order to drop. Other sprinters, like, for example, Grune, Vegan or Milan. Milan's not going to get dropped. Many a. Doesn't look like he's going to get dropped. Groves, Kaden Groves can get over it. So there's not a lot of incentives for teams to make it hard on the sprinters. You know, in a normal circumstance, you could say maybe nsn with Corbin Strong, who climbs probably better than everybody else. Of the sprinters. But then you know, Corbin Strong went down today, you know, so no, I think whatever happens, there's 75k to go basically all. I mean mostly downhill or flat. So bunch print tomorrow. Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

It be so hard to hold them off if. Even if you drop someone, you know.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

So you think. Wait, did you say. Did you say who you think's going to win?

[Johan Berniel]

No, no, no. Bunch print. So I think money. Po. Money is going to win again. I have first of all because I haven't seen anybody. That's also something that we have to take into account. You know, we don't know which teams have people implicated in this crash which the day after. Obviously you are at a disadvantage when you have riders who are hurt. If you have one or two riders who are part of your lead out train went down. That obviously has an influence. So I didn't see any of the Soudal quickstep riders hurt or down. Paul Manier looked good. You know he was dropped. That was normal. But I think he's good enough and he's fast and with, you know the, the motivation and the morale of the. And he's in the Chiclamino jersey also with a decent advantage. I think he has 55 points in the next. The next one has like 30 something points.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Well, I wanted to ask you about this. So what is going on with these points? So yeah, he has got a huge lead. He is 55 points. Next one's 35. Jonathan Milan, who won the intermediate sprint only has. He's way down. I can't find him. But like. So what happens if there's two riders away? Then that means the peloton is sprinting for five points and then at the finish there is like on a sprint stage there is 50 points on offer. Why do they wait it like that? Is that. That's not normal for a Grand Tour, is it?

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah, I don't know. I mean I hadn't looked at the way these points are divided but are distributed. But. But yeah, I mean listen, it's. Yeah, I think the intermediate sprints should definitely be a bit more important than just what is.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

You might as well not even. I mean it's 12 points for first but you're almost never going to get there before the breakaway. So you almost shouldn't sprint for the intermediate sprint points. Yeah, like the, the way they have

[Johan Berniel]

it set up also fencer and usually, I mean even in the Tour. Although in the Tour, you know, it's a little bit higher level in terms of those intermediate Sprints. But even in the Giro here, you see, I mean, that's. They don't really go full gas, you know, they just try to be in a good position and get some points. You know, like, if. If your rival gets five, well, you try to get four, right?

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then it's like the delta is so small that. Yeah, you've not spent that much energy. But yeah, he's. He's way far out in the lead on the Chicino.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah. So I think. I think with, with his, With. With the motivation of the first sprint that he won really dominantly, I. I'm going to pick Paul Money again for the win tomorrow.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

It's not. I mean, he was by far the fastest rider on Stage one, so in that respect, great pick. He looks great. Super versatile rider. I don't think he'll be as damaged by the mountains tomorrow as other riders. But I'm going to pick Thomas Lund Andreessen only because I thought Monier looked very cold today, like, visibly bothered by the cold. His hands were numb. He's trying to, like, shake his hands. He just kind of looked like he was not having a great time in the cold. So I'm going to pick someone from Denmark because maybe they dress better. Maybe he's less cold than Many.

[Johan Berniel]

And I have to say Lund. Anders, is it Anderson? Lund, yeah.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Thomas Lund Andreessen, I believe.

[Johan Berniel]

Okay. Okay. It's either way, anyways.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Did we say Thomas? It's Tobias is his name.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah, yeah, he was. He was there for a very long time on that climb. I mean, he was in a top. He was in a group. He was not far behind. I think they just barely. Just didn't make it back. Or maybe he got dropped on the last incline or something. But he was. He was definitely quite a bit ahead of. Of Manier and. And of Milan. I don't know where Milan was, by the way, on the climb, but I don't think he tried.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

He was. Milan was. He was two minutes back, but you're right. So Lund was a minute behind. I believe he was in a group with Derek G. West, who lost one minute. I don't think we said that. One minute, one second. You're like, wow, not great. And he crashed. Terrible. Still a better. Still a better start than last year.

[Johan Berniel]

Great performance from Derek G. By the way, because he went down hard. Took a while before he could get going again. Yeah. And, you know, started the climb in last position and was hurt. So not, not too dramatic, not too catastrophical for him, considering that you know, what it. What it could have been.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

I mean, yeah, I mean, even some of these guys, I mean, it was a great ride from him. But what's weird is if you go Back to stage one last year, he lost 57 seconds on a sprint stage where I guess just some guys start colder than others. But when you consider that time loss, today doesn't seem as bad. You're like, oh, you only lost 61 seconds and you're in a bad crash and you had to chase back. On Derek G. Also on. On Derek G. I was looking at Lidl Track. They are not in a great place. So they have eight wins this year. Sounds good. Six of those have come from Milan. Only three races since the European season. Three wins since the European season started in February. That's not great for a team that spent that much money. They spent so much money in the transfer market that I think someone said they could have started a second team with that amount of money

[Spencer Martin]

and they

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

have three European wins to show for it. That is not a great.

[Johan Berniel]

That's.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Things aren't going great at.

[Johan Berniel]

The team can turn around pretty quickly. But yeah, no, I hadn't paid attention to that. But yeah, not. Not ideal.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

I only noticed it because yesterday I was like, wow, Milan's had a better season than I thought because he's won all these races. But then it's like, oh, he started incredibly well, wins a state stage at Adriatico and then just has not looked himself since. I'm not, I'm. Did something happen to him or he just.

[Johan Berniel]

By the way, he said. He said yes yesterday. He did say that. He did. He just didn't have the legs, you know, Just didn't have the legs. Yeah, still did. 2010 watts maximum power.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

That's crazy.

[Johan Berniel]

What is that? If he has the legs. Is it 2200?

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah. Is it? Yeah. 2500 watts. What's he doing? I mean, he has to put. When you see how un arrow he is, though, he's got to put out a lot of power.

[Johan Berniel]

By the way, I checked yesterday, I said money. I estimate more or less 1750. It was 1710 watts watts maximum and 1350 average in the. In the last minute or something for. For money.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Interesting. Thirteen in the last. It can't be the last minute. That would be so many watts.

[Johan Berniel]

I don't know. I don't know.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

It's probably the last like 30 seconds or something. But that's a lot of power for a guy.

[Johan Berniel]

You have seen a lot of this. You know this. I mean, it's not the same. It's a different discipline. Right, but the guy who, who got the world record on the kilometer, Jeffrey Hoagland, he did, he did, he did the. So the 1km standing start.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Standing start, Not a flying start.

[Johan Berniel]

Oh, no. Standing start. I don't remember the. The exact time, but it's. It's under a minute. Of course, it's. I don't know what it is. His maximum power was 2500 watts. Woof. I mean, the guy's a beast. He looks like it's not. It's not nothing compared to road racing, but I don't know exactly over how long that was for money, but still 1710 watts for a guy who weighs 70 kilos, that's pretty impressive.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

That's super impressive. That's a lot of watts for not a lot of weight, my friend. That was a pro track sprinter for a while. Shout out Kevin Selker and he would get dropped, like on local group rides. Cause he would, you know, they're so big, you know, that you, like, can't climb at all. So it does come at a cost. There's a reason those guys aren't just

[Johan Berniel]

back in the day. I mean, this is what, this is what, this is 20 years ago. 20 years ago. Cipollini told me once that his maximum was back then, 1800 watts. Back then.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Yeah. Yeah. I was wondering.

[Spencer Martin]

Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Because, I mean, that is a lot. 1800. It's like not nothing. But I mean, Cipollini was also more aero. Thank you, Milan.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah, yeah, for sure. Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

So, yeah, that is interesting. It's kind of sobering to think about how fast Cipollini was and how unbeatable he was. And then you compare him to the guys now. I mean, even think about Mark Cavendish, he's probably not putting out more than 15, 1600 watts.

[Johan Berniel]

1500, yeah, yeah.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

And, but, and, but he was winning in this modern era, which is even more impressive. He won just, what, two years ago at the Tour de France. Also, Kevin Soger did lose the weight and he was a great climber. I just want that on the record. I don't want Kevin get mad at me, but I'm going to pick Lund Andres and I'm watching Milan.

[Johan Berniel]

I.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

If Milan doesn't win tomorrow, I mean, it is a big day for Little Trek because they need a win. Tomorrow would, would get them back on track, as you say. So there's, there's actually a lot at stake. And then we have a travel day Monday and then we're back Tuesday. And so. But we'll be back to. To break down tomorrow's stage. And then we'll be taking Monday.

[Johan Berniel]

So you're picking.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

I'm picking L. Yes. We'll get it straight. He wins this, he wins this stage. We'll get his name right. That's our promise.

[Johan Berniel]

Yeah.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

There you. There you go, Tobias. That's your incentive. But. Yeah, I thought he looked pretty good on the climb. I thought he looked a little less bothered by the weather. We'll see if that helps him.

[Johan Berniel]

Okay.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Thanks, Johan.

[Johan Berniel]

And we'll talk tomorrow. Okay.

[Co-host or Guest Analyst]

Bye. Bye.

[Johan Berniel]

Bye.