Come on, come on Eulalio! They shout in Chiavari. In truth, it's been more than a week since his name has been on the lips of cycling enthusiasts, because the Portuguese rider is currently the fresh face of this Giro d'Italia at the halfway point. Today the route heads towards the city of the Campionissimi, first Costante Girardengo and then the young Fausto Coppi who showed himself here as an apprentice before taking flight on his bicycle.

Speaking of which, the bicycle is Bianchi, as Italian as the Alé jersey. «Seeing the Pink Jersey on Eulalio's shoulders and on Team Bahrain is a source of great pride for all of us at Alé Cycling – explains with well-deserved satisfaction Alessia Piccolo, CEO of Alé Cycling -. The pink jersey represents much more than a sporting symbol: it tells of sacrifice, ambition, performance, team spirit and authentic passion. In these days the Bahrain Victorius team is demonstrating cohesion, courage and an extraordinary ability to defend a lead conquered with merit. As Italians, and as partners deeply involved in the research and development of high-performance technical apparel, we can only be moved by stories destined to become part of the narrative of this sport».

Afonso Eulalio smiles, shakes hands and signs autographs, never refusing a selfie. «I've never lacked commitment and the desire to suffer and I have plenty of it, otherwise I wouldn't be here», Eulalio, 24 years old, Portuguese born in Figueira da Foz, in the Beiras region, told us in recent days, between beaches and waves as tall as buildings. «I come from the sea, but where I'm from there's a race, the Figueira Champions Classic. I loved mountain biking. Then some friends started saying: "Let's do a race, let's do another one"...». Now he never stops racing and competing. He has the pink jersey, and along the roadside they do nothing but shout come on, come on Afonso. Come on! Which is also his jersey. It's his joy: his dream.