Giro 2022 – Koen Bouwman (Jumbo-Visma) wins the 7th stage and concludes the good work of Tom Dumoulin

The Jumbo-Visma team is smiling again. Three days after his disappointment on the slopes of Etna, Tom Dumoulin became a model teammate to allow Koen Bouwman, also a member of the breakaway of the day, to win in Potenza at the end of a 7th stage. mid-mountain. The Dutchman overtook in a four-man sprint Bauke Mollema (Trek-Segafredo), Davide Formolo (UAE Emirates) and therefore Dumoulin, very happy to have participated in the first triumph of his people on this Giro which had started so badly for them. The favorites remained wise despite the hearty menu this Friday. Arriving three minutes late in a reduced peloton, Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo) retains the pink jersey.

The adventurers were numerous to have checked this appointment. The day after a peaceful stage dedicated to sprinters, this day in the Southern Apennines was clearly dedicated to them with 196 kilometers and 4,500m of elevation gain. It is therefore unsurprising that the battle for the formation of the breakaway proved long, vigorous, and led by big names like Mathieu van der Poel, who went on the attack many times but never found the opening. . The war of the fugitives only saw its end after two hours of racing, halfway up the interminable Monte Sirino (1st category, 32km at 3.9%), when a group of seven strong men formed.

An « Oranje » breakaway

Revanchard after Etna, Dumoulin was in the game, accompanied by his teammate Bouwman, the best placed man in the general (+5″30 »), but also by two other Dutchmen, Mollema, the teammate in the pink jersey, and Wout Poels (Bahrain-Victorious) Two Italians and a Colombian completed this breakaway: Formolo, Davide Villella (Cofidis) and Diego Camargo (EF).

Villella and Poels showed their weakness in the hardest climb of the day, the Monte Grande di Viggiano (6.1 km at 9.6%). A climb that did not inspire the leaders, who stayed warm in the peloton. In the Sellata (9.1km at 5.1%), the last difficulty listed, Camargo gave up, leaving Dumoulin, Mollema, Bouwman and Formolo to explain themselves for the victory.

Dumoulin sacrifices himself for Bouwman

In turn, each of the members of the quartet tried their luck. Victim of the bumper from Mollema, Dumoulin exploded on the climb leading to the intermediate sprint of Potenza Centro, 8km from the goal. But he returned to courage, under the arch of the last three kilometers. A model teammate, he then sacrificed himself to allow Bouwman to compete in a sprint for which, rightly, he seemed the favourite. Bouwman made short work of Mollema and Formolo in the last 300 meters at 8% and won, at 28, the second victory of his career, five years after a stage in the Dauphiné. A first victory for Jumbo-Visma on this Giro. And a nice reward for the enormous work of Dumoulin, who smiles again three days after losing his overall ambitions.

The favorites have not moved

We were expecting a big fight between leaders. It did not take place. If Richard Carapaz (INEOS Grenadiers) took advantage of the chaos at the start of the race to appear for a short time in the leading group, no real major attack occurred despite a favorable playing field. Juan Pedro Lopez, who used his team to keep the breakaway to less than six minutes, thus retains his pink jersey and his 38” lead over Lennard Kämna (Bora-Hansgrohe). Although Bouwman climbs back to 16th place, 2’19” behind the Spaniard, the top 15 remains unchanged. It will probably be necessary to wait until Sunday, and the arrival at the Blockhaus, to see it turn upside down.