Alessandro De Marchi is the new leader of the Giro d’Italia 2021 after an incredible performance on stage 4 of the race. This is the first leader’s jersey for Israel Start-Up Nation in a Grand Tour.
“Last night, I looked at the GC and saw that I was still 12th overall. I joked with my sports director Claudio Cozzi that I would try to take the jersey tomorrow and look what happened!
“When the three riders got away on the descent and quickly opened up a big gap, I thought that it might be over. But luckily, we started to take back time on them and at the bottom of the last climb, I knew that it would be possible to catch them. Dombrowski was very strong and I just did my best to stay close to him and secure the pink jersey. When I crossed the line, I still wasn’t sure if I had made it but then I saw my team coming to me smiling and I realized what had happened.
“It’s an incredible feeling. I have been waiting 10 years for this. To wear the pink jersey is the dream of every cyclist, especially the Italian riders. Now I just want to celebrate with my teammates and enjoy my day in pink tomorrow!”
He never gave up on the stage. He joined the break group. When the climbing started, he didn’t give up. When two others of the group broke off, he steadily and doggedly stayed in the chase. Even a puncture with 32 km to go didn’t discourage him.
He didn’t give up when Dombrowski pulled away and went on to win the stage. Alessandro had his eye on the larger prize.
There were tears in his eyes as he proudly stood on the podium in his pink jersey – a childhood dream come true.
“You did an amazing, amazing ride. You are very deserving to wear the Maglia Rosa!” said proud team owner Sylvan Adams. “We are making history with our first leader’s jersey in a Grand Tour, – a spectacular achievement that I knew we could do.”
