It could have been a long and quiet day at the Giro, but Enzo Paleni was looking for something different. On Thursday, during the longest stage of the 2025 edition, the young man from Groupama-FDJ decided to hit the front. Although he got the company of only one rider, Taco van der Hoorn, the Frenchman showed strong resistance and was only caught by the pack with two kilometres to go. The stage was also temporarily neutralized due to a big crash, which David Gaudu and his teammates could escape. The first summit finish is now looming.
It was time for the usual “marathon stage” of the Giro d’Italia this Thursday. To reach Naples at the end of this sixth day of racing, the peloton had to cover nearly 240 kilometres – including the neutral start – from Potenza. Yet, the uphill start also proved to be quite tough shortly before noon. “The goal was to be attentive, which Lorenzo did very well at first,” Thierry Bricaud explained. “He counterattacked behind a small group of six, and this move could have been a very good one. Unfortunately, Ineos Grenadiers decided to keep attacking, and everything got back together.” After thirty kilometres of fighting, a whole new race began, and two riders immediately went away. Among them, Enzo Paleni. “Since last night, I had something in the back of my mind,” said the young French rider. “Looking at the stage, I thought a break could make it, with the tailwind, the technical final, and the rain forecast. I really wanted to be in the front today.” So he didn’t let his chance pass when the opportunity came. “I saw Taco van der Hoorn attack, and he was a rider I’d my eyes on,” Enzo added. “It was funny to be together at the front, as we’d chatted and had coffee together yesterday. Unfortunately, there were only two of us.” The peloton immediately eased off, and no other rider wanted to join the party.
“Sixty kilometers full gas!”, Enzo Paleni
With 195 kilometres left to race, quite a day was then looming for the two men. “We really rode easy, hoping some riders would jump across, and to save as much energy as possible for the final,” Enzo said. “We managed it quite well, then this race incident really gave us a boost.” After the day’s final climb, more than 70 kilometres from the finish, a big crash occurred in the peloton. Many riders slipped on the wet road, and the race was neutralized for nearly half an hour. “For us, it was an opportunity,” confessed Enzo. “We resumed with a fifty-second lead for the last sixty kilometers, and it was sixty kilometers full gas! The first kilometres went by quickly, but the last forty were a little longer (smiles). I set myself goals one kilometre after another. It was difficult with the peloton just thirty seconds behind.” Although the sprinters’ teams took control quite quickly, Enzo Paleni and Taco van der Hoorn kept on delivering a nice fight and still had a thirty-second lead with thirty kilometres to go. “Quite honestly, we never really believed they could make it,” said Thierry. “With only two guys in the front, we thought it was mission impossible. The race’s circumstances actually made the teams even more motivated for the sprint.”
“They put on a great performance,” Thierry Bricaud
Yet, some hope appeared as they approached Naples. “I really started to believe in it with fifteen kilometres to go, when I heard on the radio that the gap was increasing. It was twenty seconds, then it went to twenty-five, then thirty,” said Enzo. “We rode well with Taco, and we had a good understanding of the strategy we wanted to use.” While part of the peloton decided to finish easy as the day’s times were not recorded for the general classification, the chase for the breakaway intensified in the final ten kilometers. The gap was still twenty seconds with five kilometres to go, but the well-organized teams finally got the better of Enzo Paleni and Taco van der Hoorn a few minutes later. “We got caught two kilometers from the finish after 240 kilometres, it’s still disappointing,” Enzo concluded. “That being said, these are the kinds of opportunities you have to create to win races, and I’m satisfied with my day. I haven’t felt great for a few months, so I’m even happier to have been able to do that today.” “We have to admit they put on a great performance,” praised Thierry.In the end, Kaden Groves took the day’s victory, with David Gaudu crossing the line several minutes later with a few of his teammates, but without any consequences for the overall standings. “It’s still a good day for us despite everything that happened because we managed to avoid the crashes,” concluded Thierry. “These are days when you always have more to lose than to gain… Tomorrow, we should have a first fight between the leaders. We’ll see how it goes because a stage like today’s is bound to leave its mark.”
