The first individual time trial of the Giro d’Italia, this Friday, made it possible for Clément Davy to finally enjoy himself. Towards Perugia, on a long course, which was made harder by an uphill final, the young Frenchman achieved a decent 31st place. Tadej Pogacar won and secured the pink jersey on the eve of the summit finish in Prati di Tivo.
On Friday, it was time for the Umbria region to host the Giro, with the seventh stage which was also the first time trial of the 2024 edition. From Foligno to Perugia, a forty-kilometre route awaited the riders under nice weather conditions. “The first 35 kilometres were quite flat,” explained Anthony Bouillod. “Then, the last 6.5 were rather difficult with a very demanding first climb including slopes at 15%. Therefore, managing the effort was very important, especially since it was hot and the course was quite long.” Around fifty minutes were needed to complete the course, and it was Clément Davy who was the first to tackle it for Groupama-FDJ, at 1:14 p.m. “Enzo and Clément had the green light to do it 100%,” added Anthony. “The others were instructed to ride more conservatively.” On his terrain over the first three quarters of the stage, Clément Davy then set the second provisional time at the finish line, in 55’19. “I paced myself well, I tried to be patient on the flat part to be able to really push in the last six kilometres which were really hard,” explained the young man. “Honestly, with today’s legs, I couldn’t do better. I am satisfied from this point of view, and to have been able to have fun.”
“I’m not giving up”, Clément Davy
Almost three hours later, the race against the clock ended with the victory of Tadej Pogacar ahead of Filippo Ganna, and Clément Davy eventually found himself in 31st place in the rankings. “Clément did a nice performance, just outside the top 30,” said Anthony. “It’s quite promising in a discipline that he really likes.” “The first stages of the Giro were not easy for me, I was not 100%, I was having bad nights and I was having trouble recovering day after day,” explained Clément. “It’s been much better for two nights. The goal was first to regain confidence. I didn’t think too much, and I didn’t put pressure on myself. I rode according to my feelings, and the feelings were pretty good. 31st place is not really what I want, so we will have to continue working. I know that I have come a long way after my vertebra injury last year. I first fought to get my level back, now I have to move up a notch if I want to hope for better. I’m not giving up, and with my coach Nico Boisson we keep working, hoping for better in the years to come and as I get older.”
As for Enzo Paleni, he reached the finish line in 56’47 on Friday, but after crashing along the way. “He also had the abilities to put in a great performance,” added Anthony Bouillod. “He was motivated, but he put so much effort into it that he took risks in the corners, and he made a mistake. When you want to put everything on your side and you are at the limit, it happens. He will learn from his little mistake but that does not call into question his good physical condition. He’ll certainly be disappointed, but there is no doubt that he’ll bounce back in the coming days.” On Saturday, a summit finish will be on the riders’ program, at Prati di Tivo, after 14 kilometres with an average slope of 7%.
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