Verona's win brings back memories of his first pro victory: "Back then, I also lost my leader"

Verona accelerated on the Dori climb, marking the start of the final stretch. He immediately built up a nice lead with more than fifteen kilometers to climb to the top. Behind him, Gianmarco Garofoli (Soudal Quick-Step) and Filippo Zana (Jayco-AlUla) formed the chasing group, but they never managed to close the gap. Even in the stage's final kilometers, when several riders joined the duo, Verona stayed ahead.

And that victory came as a surprise to the 32-year-old rider. "I hadn't counted on this at all. I was already super happy to go to the Giro to work for Giulio Ciccone. But yesterday, everything changed." The day before the stage, Verona and Lidl-Trek lost their leader in the GC. Ciccone crashed and had to abandon. "I didn't do it for myself, but for the team," said the winner in the flash interview. "This one is for Ciccone."

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Verona had won once before this Giro victory in his fourteen years as a professional. In 2022, the rider recorded his first professional victory in the Criterium du Dauphiné. He also won solo there, riding for Movistar. In the seventh stage, he stayed ahead of Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard (both Jumbo-Visma). "I was in the same situation in the Dauphiné," Verona recalls. "I lost my leader then, too, so I was mainly thinking about the team today."

Verona, now in his second year with the German-American team, left the front group early in the race. "At first, I wasn't even in the breakaway. But I stayed focused and kept going. When we were back down after Monte Grappa, I felt I had the legs. I had to go early because I don't have enough speed in the sprint."