When the bright pink figure of Tadej Pogačar stayed close to the front of the Giro d’Italia peloton on the bunch sprint finale of stage 12, it instantly sparked speculation that he might be aiming to repeat his lead out at Naples for UAE Team Emirates fastman Juan Sebastian Molano. But that wasn’t the case.
As Pogačar explained afterwards, the Giro leader’s main aim in a fraught, chaotic bunch sprint into Francavilla al Mare was to stay out of trouble, and his presence in the front 10 to 15 riders was purely and simply with that aim in mind.
