The Giro d'Italia gruppo spent Monday's rest day in hotels scattered along the Bay of Naples, with the dark, arid slopes of Vesuvius glowering down upon them. In his poem 'La Ginestra,' written under the volcano in Torre del Greco, Giacomo Leopardi used a shrub tenaciously growing amid the volcanic ash as a symbol of dignified resistance in the face of an inevitable destiny. Almost two centuries on, the men vying for overall victory at this Giro might recognise the sentiment.
Tadej Pogačar, already the winner of three stages, already in pink and already holding a lead of 2:40, is the runaway favourite to win this Giro d'Italia. A little over a week into the race, Pogačar's rivals have already reached the point where they are grateful for any respite in the seismic activity provoked by his movements.
