After Hindley’s exit, Bruyneel doubts Roglic's Giro chances: "Losing such a strong teammate is a huge blow"

"It was a typical Giro stage until the crash," Bruyneel begins his story. “I've heard that Hindley's injuries are fortunately not too serious, so it won't have too much impact on the rest of the season. But for Roglic, this is a major blow. Losing such a strong teammate at this stage is very tough. They will have to rethink their strategy."

In addition to Hindley, Adam Yates, Richard Carapaz, and Mads Pedersen were also among those who crashed, after which the organization decided to neutralize the stage. Bruyneel looks back on that decision with mixed feelings. "If you neutralize the stage for the GC, why do you let the riders continue for the stage win? It still involves that riders are going to take risks. You could also ask yourself whether the stage should have been neutralized in the first place."

In the end, the battle for the stage victory was fought out in the streets of Naples, and the Belgian analyst saw a very strong Kaden Groves. "He is one of the fastest riders in the Giro peloton. It's only his first victory of the season, but it's already his eighth stage win in a Grand Tour since 2022. That's really impressive, and it puts him on a very prestigious list."

However, according to Bruyneel, it wouldn't have been so easy if Olav Kooij had been able to ride his sprint. "It was a very strange last kilometer with Van Aert's lead-out. Ultimately, Moschetti also closed in on Kooij, which was clearly on the edge. He deserved the yellow card for that. But it's a shame we didn't see Kooij in a real sprint against Groves."

There will be no chance for the sprinters in stage seven, as the first finish is uphill. "Red Bull can no longer ride defensively. Martínez and Pellizzari now have a lot of responsibility. The seventh stage has a fantastic finish for Roglic, so it will be exciting to see the strategy — but they have to go for it."

"But behind Roglic, there are still a lot of climbers who might go for the win," the Belgian continues. "I don't really think it will be a day for the breakaway riders. I expect a lot from Red Bull and UAE, but with UAE, it remains to be seen whether they will go for Ayuso alone or bring other teammates into play. It promises to be an exciting stage."