It was supposed to be the first test of the race, and Lorenzo Mark Finn passed the exam with flying colors. On the Passo Maniva climb, the Italian from the Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe Rookies team was the only one able to keep up with the unleashed Jarno Widar, surrendering only in the final meters - a duel both anticipated and not taken for granted, confirming the excellent form of the two contenders for the pink jersey.

"When Nordhagen took off in the group, we were all calm. My teammate Luke Tuckwell was incredible and brought us all back together. I expected to find myself in front with Jarno, and once we were alone, I tried to anticipate him, but I couldn't surprise him. Around 200 meters from the finish, he attacked as usual and made the difference. Honor to him, he was very good," says a composed Lorenzo Finn. He had already told us at the end of yesterday's stage that all the media pressure around him is not weighing on him at all; in fact, he's trying to use it to his advantage. Despite his young age, he already has countless fans, with kids lining up for a photo and an autograph, while he throws himself into the fray like a true veteran.

Despite the final satisfaction for Finn, it was absolutely not an easy stage, as we immediately noticed when we saw him cross the finish line bleeding from his arm and right leg. The Italian had indeed fallen on the first climb of the day without, for now, suffering any major consequences. "It all happened on the first climb of the stage, and I found myself on the ground. The speed was quite low, but it was still a hard hit," Finn explained to us. "The fall destabilized me a bit, but my teammates were great because they immediately calmed me down. I changed bikes and, thanks to their help, I got back into the group quite easily. Fortunately, we were far from the finish. During the race, I didn't feel any pain, maybe I was caught up in the adrenaline. I only feel it now; we'll see how it goes in the next few days."

Now, only 7" separate Widar and Finn, a gap that could change very quickly. After all, we are just at the beginning of the Giro Next Gen, and the battle is more open than ever.