He jokes about it, having fun on the rest day: "Afonso, will you lose the pink jersey tomorrow in favor of Vingegaard?" "Yes, for sure". Afonso Eulalio, a 24-year-old Portuguese rider from Figueira da Foz, a well-known coastal town of 60,000 inhabitants on the Atlantic, north of Lisbon, where a new Portuguese classic is also held. He's in his second season as a professional and since Potenza he's been wearing the pink jersey of the Giro d'Italia: it's been five stages, but after finishing 2nd in the Lucanian city, he came 15th on the Blockhaus and 5th at Corno alle Scale, always showing great personality in his pink jersey. "It's a dream, I never would have imagined it. Three years ago, I wore the white jersey for young riders at the Volta Portugal and now I'm here. I started with mountain biking and I had so much fun, I don't come from a big city, I'd go out with friends after school. Then on the road I've been racing practically only since Covid times, since 2019, it wasn't anything special, it was just because they told me 'try the road'."

His smile is contagious: he knows that tomorrow, after this rest day, there's the 42 km time trial from Viareggio to Massa, completely flat, and Jonas Vingegaard, second overall at 2'24", will take it from him. "I've improved so much in these two years, I've improved in everything, in one-day races, in week-long races, but not in time trials. Until a month ago, the time trial was a rest day for me, and now I'll start with the pink jersey at the Giro... I'll fight until the end, but Jonas is super strong, he's one of the best time trialists in the world, and besides, this is a completely flat course, no climbs, very few turns, full gas from start to finish. It's the worst time trial for skinny guys like me..."

But the attitude of the young champion from Bahrain-Victorious is beautiful, and Damiano Caruso has taken him under his wing: ninth at the 2025 World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda. Eulalio tells his story.

Your favorite music? "Reggaeton".

Do you like cooking?

"Yes, very much. Risotto and especially red meat, doing barbecue. You know, we cyclists eat mostly carbohydrates".

And Afonso's life has changed, and how, in these five days, "because even the President of the Republic sent me a message. He tried to call me and left me a message. I saw the number and thought 'wow, it's the president'. I think I'm doing something pretty good, right? Rui Costa called me (world champion in Florence 2013, ed.) who was my first idol, my inspiration: I started racing following his example. And all the riders I started with said something to me. There have been so many calls, so many messages..."

Do you follow other personalities?

"Well, Cristiano Ronaldo, especially, and I support Benfica, but I'm not crazy about football. I like watching it, I like following the National Team at the World Cup, but nothing more".

Now there's the time trial: "Well, it's not really the specialty where I feel comfortable. I try to improve because I'm not very good at it, I work on it a bit, but not much: I came here to the Giro as a worker, a domestique, thinking I'd find my opportunities in the mountain stages. Of course, since that day with the pink jersey everything has changed".

What are Eulalio's prospects?

"We'll see after the time trial, because I don't expect a good performance. But there are still two weeks left, they'll be tough, but we have a good team, we're working very well".

What was your best memory of the Giro besides the pink jersey?

"In 2025 I passed first on the Mortirolo, it was nice, then the general classification riders came from behind".

And your life in the peloton?

"Last year I didn't know anyone I was racing with, and even now I don't know everyone. My best friends are Nelson Oliveira, also Portuguese, who races for Movistar, the Portuguese guy, I really like him, yes, and in our team definitely Damiano (Caruso, ed.)".

But when you ask Afonso Eulalio, pink jersey wearer of the Giro since May 13, what he likes most, his eyes light up: "Simply, enjoying life when I'm at home. For us being at home is fantastic. In the two months of preparation for the Giro I'll have spent four or five days at home. When we get back, for us it's a vacation: we're at home, and it's perfect, you go visit your family, your friends".