Top sprinters full of disbelief about Alpecin-Deceuninck's tactics: "Not sure if that was the smartest plan"

Lidl-Trek did everything it could to position Jonathan Milan well in Lucca on Wednesday but ended up missing out, along with the other sprinter teams, on a breakaway of four. Benjamin Thomas of Cofidis emerged as the winner, but there was plenty of discussion surrounding the events that followed. Edward Theuns fulfilled his role as the lead-out for the American team at Cycling Pro Net, after which several sprint contenders also shared their thoughts.

The interviewer inquired how the breakaway managed to succeed despite efforts to prevent it. "I don't know if you saw the first half of the race," Theuns responded politely, "but there was actually a very strong breakaway early on, after which Alpecin-Deceuninck had a 'special plan' to apply pressure on the climbs."

Theuns doubts whether idea of Alpecin-Deceuninck was really smart

Alpecin-Deceuninck did indeed push hard uphill. "I'm not sure if that was the smartest plan. Everyone comes to the Giro well-trained, so it's not easy to drop riders on a climb like that. So after that climb, we found ourselves in a new situation without a breakaway, and then when four strong riders managed to break away with sixty kilometers to go..."

"Then you realize you have to react quickly, which we did. Until the end, we were the team putting in the most effort, but it wasn't until the last ten kilometers that other teams started to assist. By then, it was too late... We had to chase with three riders against four the whole time. Overall, I see it as a missed opportunity due to peculiar tactics. They have the right to approach it that way, but in our opinion, it's a missed opportunity."

Read more below the video.

Merlier and Ewan didn't understand Alpecin-Deceuninck's plan at all

Even some of the defeated top sprinters found it difficult to comprehend the tactics employed by Alpecin-Deceuninck. "There were some peculiar team tactics," Tim Merlier (eighth in the stage result) commented in a short video on the X-account of Soudal Quick-Step. "Some teams aimed to drop the sprinters who struggle on climbs, but in doing so, I think they also weakened their own team. That's odd."

Similar disbelief was expressed by Caleb Ewan, who eventually finished in sixth place (second in the bunch sprint). "Alpecin-Deceuninck pushed hard on that first climb," the Australian from Jayco-AlUla stated in a video also posted on X. "They made it very challenging, but then they allowed a new breakaway to form. And not too far from the finish. When they are also strong riders, it's difficult to reel them back in."

Janssens and Groves explain on behalf of Alpecin-Deceuninck what the idea was

Jimmy Janssens was the first to comment on behalf of Alpecin-Deceuninck on Eurosport. "It was a tough day, where we aimed to make it challenging uphill to possibly drop the heavier sprinters. Unfortunately, that didn't work out as we were short on a few guys towards the end," the dedicated rider representing the Belgian team stated.

Even sprint leader Kaden Groves, who wasn't heavily involved in the bunch sprint and finished fifteenth, shared his thoughts with Eurosport. "The leading group was incredibly fast," he explained. "Perhaps the bikes gave them a slight advantage. But such stages occur from time to time. The leading group was also very strong, and the tailwind favored them. My teammates had expended a lot of energy earlier, which might have cost us in the final chase. We had a plan, and we successfully executed the first part of it. I'm content with that."