The night before the 175km race from Imperia to Novi Ligure, Alec Segaert studied the parcours on VeloViewer and carefully pinpointed the perfect spot to make his winning attack that ultimately led to his first Grand Tour stage victory at the Giro d'Italia.
The 23-year-old rider racing in the colours of Bahrain-Victorious launched himself out of the reduced peloton with three kilometres to go and held off a chasing field to narrowly claim the win, celebrating at the finish line with his teammate and maglia rosa Afonso Eulálio on their collective success.
"It is important for the team. We have a good atmosphere with the pink jersey, but I still get the chance from the team to go for my own success, and I'm grateful for that," Segaert said in a post-race press conference held at the Museo dei Campionissimi.
"On a day like this, when I get my chance, I try to look at VeloViewer to see the parcours and to see what would be the right moment to do an attack. I saw this moment, and I had already decided before the race that this could be a possibility.
"There are a thousand scenarios that racing can go so I'm able to adapt as well, so today went according to plan."
A powerful time triallist, Segaert was disappointed to miss out on a top place in the previous day's 42km time trial in Massa, saying he didn't feel well and that his body simply didn't perform as he had hoped.
"The time trial didn't go as planned, I would say. I was not having the good feelings that I wanted, and I was having trouble with my legs. It was more frustrating because I couldn't really go out and show what I was capable of doing," he said.
"I didn't come to the Giro only for the time trial, and next to defending the pink jersey, I also get my chances at my own success. When it is possible, I want to go for it and not look back on stages in the past."
He said it helps that he understands how his capabilities and strengths fit into the types of parcours at the Giro d'Italia, which helped him plan opportunities for success.
"In cycling, it is important to know what you are capable of and what you are not capable of. I will never be someone who wins half the races I start, but when I get the chance, I will grab them. At the moment, this is my way to win races, and whenever it is possible, I will try to do it and race for victory. It's hard, so this is super nice."
Eulálio, who gained an additional six seconds toward his overall lead, is now 33 seconds ahead of his nearest rival, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). He explained that the team has kept fighting for success at this Giro d'Italia, even despite the ups and downs of the first two weeks of racing.
"We have had three years without a [Grand Tour] victory, and today, we changed this, and it was important for us to keep the jersey - it is perfect," he said.
"The whole team has a good relationship. The whole team is young, and we are always laughing; it is super fun. Alec is my roommate, and I don't know if I gave some pink-jersey power to him, but our team has a good relationship."
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