Vincenzo Nibali takes a spin with his Bahrain-Merida teammates(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The Giro d'Italia rest day taken literally(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Vincenzo Nibali had quite a following on the rest day ride(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) with the maglia rosa on the rest day(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The Giro d'Italia took an early rest day after three days of racing so that the riders could make the transfer via chartered flight from Sardinia to Sicily, while the press and publicity caravan took the overnight ferry across to Palermo.
The sun shone brightly through Fernando Gaviria's hotel window as he arose to meet the day and the media with the maglia rosa.
"It was nice to wake up this morning in Sicily and see the pink jersey there, in my room, together with all the other things the team had prepared for me," Gaviria said. "When I put everything on to go training I felt that I'm the leader of the Giro, because I needed some time to let things sink in."
After two unsuccessful sprints, the Quick-Step Floors team ripped the race to shreds in the crosswinds on stage 3, delivering the Colombian to a convincing stage victory with enough of a gap to secure the race lead. It might not last past Tuesday's stage to Mount Etna, but it is a huge victory for the young sprinter taken in front of his family.
"Last night, I thought a lot about what we did as a team; it was really impressive and I'm sure nobody will forget the way Quick-Step Floors sparked that move and left their mark on the last Sardinian stage," Gaviria said.
"Yesterday's victory is the most important of my career and to win this stage in front of my mother, father and sister made me very happy. I love having my family here, their presence boosted my morale and it gives me huge joy to know they'll spend some more days at the race, following me. Without their help, I wouldn't have been the person I am today."
The race organisation took a tour of an exhibit dubbed "Sicilia. Amore infinito" which celebrates the history of the race visiting the island through historical editions of La Gazzetta dello Sport, other newspapers, original jerseys and videos. RCS Sport Managing Director Paolo Bellino, Giro d'Italia Director Mauro Vegni and other dignitaries inaugurated the exhibit.
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"It is very important for the Giro to be in a place of culture as the Giro is culture itself," Vegni said. "The Giro unified the south with the north of Italy and contributed to creating Italian culture over the last hundred years. This exhibition remembers all the times the Giro has come to Sicily, a beautiful region which loved the Giro and is loved by the Giro."
