VINGEGAARD. 10 with honors. He does what everyone expects him to do. He makes the difference, but doesn't close the doors, he leaves them open. He has work to complete, which he will complete in the coming stages. He plays Vingegaard with a hint of throttle (so to speak), controlling and managing himself, thinking about what's to come (not just the rest of the Giro, but the Tour). He starts at -5.5 from the finish line with our Pellizzari closing. He tries again at -4.6. Two hundred meters later, however, he takes off. He leaves our Giulio there and takes center stage, with lucidity and discretion. He doesn't kill the race: he stuns it. Surgical.

Felix GALL. 9. He's not exactly the first to pass, but he's someone who knows how to keep pace. He doesn't lose his composure but he opposes, in his own way. With his pace, which is of absolute level. He loses, but by little, by just a handful of seconds. It's the story that speaks for the 28-year-old Austrian from Decathon: a 5th and an 8th place at the Tour. An 8th at the Vuelta. It's the first time he's trying to race for the general classification at the Giro: he's there, in the race. Tenacious.

Jay HINDLEY. 9. He acts as a tutor to Giulio, but he really does everything. He carries the cross and the Red Bull flag. He helps Giulio to start and helps him not to disappear. He carries him along, puts him in his backpack and carries him up. At the summit he takes the bonuses for third place. A little something to not leave them to O'Connor. Providential.

Giulio PELLIZZARI. 7. He tries, without fear. Of course he could have not gone off the rails, but at 22 years old it's also right to test himself, try to keep pace with a champion like Vingegaard. He does his part, with great determination, with a lot of courage. He's there in the high zones: the podium is not far away. He doesn't hide, he says: "I made a mistake following him, but I think I've learned the lesson". Hard on himself.

Ben O'CONNOR. 6.5. The 30-year-old Australian from Jayco AlUla is a tenacious and experienced man. He has all the credentials to aim high and today he demonstrates he has the credentials to do so. He ends up in the Red Bull vice, but the Giro is just beginning.

Mathys RONDEL. 6.5. The 22-year-old Frenchman from Tudor confirms he is one of the best young riders in this early Giro. Today he's there too and we think that from those parts, in those zones, he'll stay for a while. Light.

Giulio CICCONE. 6.5. He wants to prove to himself and not just that he is capable of staying in the noble zones of the standings. Above all he wants to show that Derek Gee doesn't have much more than him. At the moment he seems like a separated member of Lidl-Trek, but he must also acknowledge that he arrived at this Giro with other tasks, with other objectives: stages and the blue jersey for mountain points. Tormented.

Derek GEE. 5.5. He's the designated leader, the regular for the grand tours, given that in his career he already has a 4th place at the Giro and a 9th at the Tour. Today he's not brilliant, he pays the price almost immediately. A chasing stage, for someone who is used to chasing.

Michael STORER. 6.5. Matteo Tosatto brings the 29-year-old Australian into the top ten as well. A rider who makes endurance his distinctive feature. He races alongside young Rondel: meanwhile they are Tudor's golden couple. Punctual.

Thymen ARENSMAN. 5. The 26-year-old Dutchman from Netcompany Ineos is the second leader of the British team. Today he clearly demonstrates he is the first, even if he has a few too many riders ahead of him. Chaser.

Afonso EULALIO. 6. The 24-year-old Portuguese rider from Bahrain manages himself perfectly: he eases off when the pace picks up, and waits for Damiano Caruso who keeps him afloat like a raft: indestructible.

Enric MAS. 4. "Nomen omen", beyond being a sign it's a destiny: mas, never, for those who speak Spanish. Although Mas prefers massive situations. He loves to stay with the bulk of the group: behind.

Egan BERNAL. 4. Cozzo Tunno was supposed to be just a bad sign, the Blockhaus is a bad sight: this is Bernal.

Jonathan MILAN. 7. The giant from Buja has to work overtime. After the bottleneck at the Naples finish line, the Lidl-Trek grenadier goes in search of precious points for the cyclamen jersey. Out in the day's breakaway, his the flying sprint at Venafro before the sweet return to the group, letting himself be carried by the wind, like a glider.

Nickolas ZUKOWSKY. 7. The 27-year-old Canadian from Pinarello Q36.5 is the best placed in the standings among those who gain an advantage over the pink jersey group. A gap from Eulalio of 22'13": basically Nickolas doesn't worry anyone. With him, as if escorting him, Jardi Christiaan Van Der Lee (EF Education Easy Post), Jonathan Milan (Lidl Trek), Tim Naberman (Team Picnic PostNL) and Diego Pablo Sevilla (Polti Visit Malta). All day they defy the wind and rain: how to put it.

Filippo GANNA. 4. In their work Filippo, Simone and Jonny have long been excellences. They have been in the history of sport and Olympism for some years now, even if perhaps for them the gold from Tokyo was sufficient, the highest certificate for an athlete. This morning, however, an academic recognition also arrived, that of the ISFOA Unitelematica Internazionale Svizzera University - represented by its Magnificent Rector Stefano Masullo, which awarded the degree to our three gold knights, who are also Commendators of the Republic and CONI Gold Collars. Side note: one is missing, Francesco Lamon. The vote is not a vote, but a recall, a postscript, a warning: there were four of them. Lamon is also one of the "golden boys" from Tokyo and for this Commendator of the Republic and CONI gold collar. Will the degree reach him by mail? Asking for a friend.