‘It really hurt!’ said VDP after he won stage 1 of the 2022 Giro, taking the coveted Maglia Rosa in the process, and yep, we could see that from the images afterwards.

Later as VDP sat talking to the press in the interview box we could see what looked dried blood on his arm, leading the commentators to wonder if he’d had a fall in training before the race.

But no, it was actually dirt that remained stuck to him after he fell to his usual prone position post-sprint!

“It’s pretty special,” he said. “I didn’t have a chance to celebrate on the finish line because I had to dig so deep, but yeah for sure I’m going to realise it in a few hours for sure, and then enjoy it with the team tonight.”

Great stuff.