What a fantastic day’s racing! And watching the Diesel of Thomas de Gendt holding off the chasing Ferrari of Mattieu van der Poel was thrilling right to the last kilometre. The GCN commentary compared the course around Naples as a “mini World Championship” but there was a lot more interest than a one-day race, with a GC contended (Martin) getting away with such a strong group that the peloton would never chase them down, and sprint points up for grabs for Biniam Girmay and riders from minor teams hanging on for glory. This is the spectacle that cannot be matched in another sport, IMHO. And I didn’t care whether De Gendt was in my team roster or not, I was willing him to win it. Chapeau!

Team of the Day

And Chapeau! to our minileague team of the day, Stay upright, damn it! Both Martin’s team and Iseabel’s Hormonal Teenager included the mighty stage winner, but with 3 riders in the top 10 (van der Poel in 7th and Wout Poels in 8th), it’s Martin’s that top the points. Here they are:

Those 3 high finishers from the breakaway boost Stay upright, damn it! into 3rd place in the mini-league and into the lead in the Top 10 Chart:

Flag of the Day

This is Naples, which is pleasingly simple and 2/3 of Thomas de Gendt’s Belgian flag. The yellow and red have a deep provenance, since they are retained from the colours of the Kingdon of Aragon (in Spain) from where Southern Italy and Sicily were ruled in the 14th century. Blood on Gold in Aragon’s flag’s origins. The Bay of Naples looks beautiful, but the bike racing was too intense to enjoy the views. Fascinating geology too, with the volcanic activity and huge rises and falls of land and seabed on the edge of colliding tectonic plates. There’s more dramatic geology tomorrow as Stage 6 takes in 5 KOM peaks, ending on the Blockhaus in the Central Appenines.