Bad weather brings surprises: Unknown Colombian rider Callejas dominates queen stage in Giro d’Abruzzo

Spring in Italy sounds appealing, but it can sometimes be pretty rough. Thursday was another day of dramatic weather. It rained cats and dogs during the queen stage to Roccaraso. That didn't stop five riders from making a long breakaway. Federico Guzzo (S.C. Padovani) was joined by Kiaan Watts (Israel - Premier Tech Academy), Martin Marcellusi (VF Group - Bardiani), Ben Granger (Mg.K Vis Costruzioni), and Rune Herregodts (UAE Team Emirates - XRG). It was a nice group with some big names, but that meant they didn't get more than 3 minutes ahead of the peloton.

The 23-year-old Guzzo started the stage with ambitions. He was third in the mountain classification and wanted to collect as many points as possible along the way. He succeeded, picking up 25 points to take the jersey from Samuele Zoccarato. However, the continental rider's efforts quickly took their toll, as he was the first rider in the group to give up. New Zealander Watts was also dropped as they approached the finish, leaving three riders to tackle the difficult, unpredictable final climb.

The weather conditions remained terrible: it was raining, and the temperature was only 5 degrees Celsius. The wind chill made it feel even colder, and some riders struggled to cope. Outsider Louis Meintjes (Intermarché - Wanty) had to drop out at the foot of the final climb. This was mainly due to the pace set by Steven Williams, who kept the pace high for George Bennett. At the front, Marcellusi also had to drop out, with the unknown Brit Granger setting the pace. He performed well, but the group of favorites was closing in fast.

There, leader Filippo Fiorelli (who had taken the jersey in stage two) was already struggling, especially because the favorites started attacking: David De La Cruz made the first move with 12 kilometers to go. But the Colombian Alejandro Callejas Santos of the Mexican Petrolike team was the first to create a gap. He pushed hard and went over the breakaway riders. Behind him, there was chaos, and no one wanted to work together. Eventually, three men managed to pursue the lone Callejas: Mathys Rondel (Tudor) opened up a gap, together with Albert Torres (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) and De La Cruz.

This was a battle among the favorites, with many breakaways. Bennett and Fiorelli, among others, made their moves, but the active Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché) managed to break away and catch up with the three chasers. They built their lead over the other contenders, but the leader was gone: the previously unknown Callejas showed his talent in the grueling mountain stage. In the blistering wind and pouring rain, the 24-year-old Colombian was surprisingly the strongest.