The pink caravan in Verona

Verona has been the world capital of cycling several times, two editions hosted in the Scaligera city, that of 1999 and that of 2004, on both occasions the winner was the Spaniard Óscar Freire, a specialist in one-day races. But Verona was and is above all the Giro d'Italia, five were the final stages of the pink caravan, the one in 1981 won by Giovanni Battaglin, the one in 2010 where it is Ivan Basso who wears the pink jersey in the Arena. But most probably it is the 1984 edition that is remembered with more pleasure by the fans, Francesco Moser has to recover 1'21" from the Frenchman Laurent Fignon in the 42 kilometers that separate Soave to Verona, uses lenticular wheels for the first time, and traveling at an average of 51 km/h he inflicts a gap of 2'24" on the transalpine, going on to win his first and only Giro d'Italia. In 2019 the Giro returns to the banks of the Adige, this time the world championship circuit is used, but counterclockwise, Vincenzo Nibali has to recover a gap of 1'54' to Richard Carapaz, an impossible feat in the short 17 km time trial, Vincenzo from everything he has and recovers 50 seconds, but Ecuador wins the round.

^{Vincenzo Nibali on the Torricelle climb}

^{Richard Carapaz flies to victory at the 2019 Giro d'Italia}

^{Giulio Ciccone winner of the blue jersey at the 2019 Giro d'Italia, classification reserved for the best climbers}

^{And here is Jai Hindley next winner in the 2022 round, here resumed in the 2019 time trial}

And 2022 arrives, once again it is Verona that closes the pink race, once again a time trial, after two years of the pandemic the desire of the fans to embrace their favorites is great, many people crowded along the route, many on the climb delle Torricelle, and a lot waiting for the arrival in piazza Brà and in the Arena. It is the Australian Jai Hindley who wears the pink jersey beating Richard Carapaz who this time has to settle for the place of honor.

But all the looks, the incitements, the loudest applause are for the shark, for Vincenzo Nibali it is his last pink race, his last lap time trial, the last embrace of his people who along the entire 17 kilometers he accompanied with true transport the winner of two tours of Italy and a Toure de France.