In an era of ever more eager peloton that looks for every opportunity for a dominant solo victory and stage win glory, the breakaway win is becoming a somewhat lost art in cycling. 37 years old and still flying the flag for the breakaway is Alessandro de Marchi (Jaco-Aroura).

This Italian veteran has made a name for himself by throwing everything on the road in order to outrun the peloton and try to pick the right move for the win. 13 years ago, in 2011, he turned pro with Androni, and since then he has only had 7 successes, all of them memorable. memorable and a reminder that opportunistic moves are still possible, as they once were.

"Riders like me are rare; we like to take risks. 'If you want to achieve, you have to be willing to take some risks.'

"Three years and 160 days after his victory in the 2021 Tre Valli Varesine, De Marchi won his seventh Tour de l'Alps stage 2.

"You can't compare it to cycling in the past. You can't compare it to the cycling of the past, because today the situation is completely different," de Marchi said at the post-race press conference.

"It's not that the situation is more difficult than last year. I am here and I am doing what I have always done throughout my career and I am still succeeding.

De Marchi was part of a six-man group from Salorno to Stans, but on the final Gnadenwald climb (4.5km, 7.3%), he caught Patrick Gamper (Bora-Hansgrohe) coming up from the breakaway, dropped Simon Peraud (Tudor) and rode alone in the final 20km.

De Marchi had been waiting a long time to win the Giro d'Italia after twice narrowly missing out on his first stage win in 2023.

He was passed by Magnus Korto (EF) for third place in Viareggio on stage 10, and just four stages earlier in Naples, he and Simon Clark (Israel-Premier Tech) came within sight of the peloton. De Marchi has not given up on his long challenging career, and today he showed why.

"All in all, it was a successful attempt. Of course, this success does not reward all the previous attempts, but what a result," he said.

De Marchi even had a feeling that today was going to be his day. He told teammate and roommate Filippo Zana that he would do his best today because "I need to work hard."

"If this is my last victory, I'll take it. I race for the thrill of it." So even if I had been caught today, I would have gone to bed feeling proud and happy."

The Italian also had some advice for the younger generation as his racing style is drying up among younger riders who have become accustomed to the rigorous planning and strategy that comes with racing for a WorldTour team and are no longer willing to boldly challenge.

"Today, young people are trained and followed by nutrition specialists and others.

"To go to the next level, it's stamina, heart, and courage. And perhaps that is what is lacking in young people these days. I'm not talking about the Italian riders, but it's something that all young riders lack: they lack hunger.

"They don't want to take risks, they don't want to try.

He heads to his fifth Giro d'Italia next month, perhaps just in time for his 38th birthday on May 19, his first win in his home Grand Tour.