‘Agreement? What agreement?!’ – Lennard Kamna’s claim of ‘secret’ deal on Etna at Giro d’Italia dismissed

Updated 10/05/2022 at 19:00 GMT

Riders from rival teams regularly have to make deals to ensure the success of breakaways and so on, so it was perhaps unsurprising that Lennard Kamna revealed he and Juan Pedro Lopez had a “silent agreement” on Stage 4 at the Giro d’Italia. Not that The Breakaway cast were having any of it, suggesting there was much less in the deal for Lopez than there was for Kamna. Confused? Read on…

‘Hahaha… no’ – Kamna claims of ‘secret agreement’ on Etna dismissed

Lennard Kamna hinted he had a “silent agreement” with Juan Pedro Lopez ahead of the sprint finish atop Mount Etna at the Giro d’Italia – but The Breakaway gang suggest that the deal never really existed.

The German (Bora-Hansgrohe) bridged the gap to lone frontman Lopez (Trek–Segafredo) with 2.5km remaining of Stage 4 before the pair were pictured in conversation.

Kamna was soon celebrating winning the two-up sprint while his rival soared into pink, with the 25-year-old revealing an unspoken pact between the pair.

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“Let me say it like this: maybe we had a silent agreement,” Kamna said after the stage.

The pact appeared simple enough: Kamna would help Lopez guarantee the leader’s jersey by driving a fast pace to the finish in return for winning the sprint unopposed.

Only that was not what really transpired. Both men charged into the final corner on the Sicilian volcano – a tight hairpin – and almost came a cropper. Had Lopez’s back wheel not slipped out, he may have been much closer to challenge in the sprint and still seemed intent on closing the gap in the final metres as Kamna sat up to rejoice.

Lopez slammed his handlebars in frustration after coming home in second, while he was pictured in tears before someone revealed to him he had seized pink, further indication that if a deal had been mooted it was not a two-way agreement – unless the Spaniard is angling for a move into acting once his career on two wheels is finished.

“They both bomb into that final corner. Agreement? What agreement!” said Robbie McEwen, a 12-time stage winner at the Giro, on The Breakaway.

“He [Lopez] was trying to win the stage. We saw the images of him with his team soigneurs after the finish line, he seemed really upset for a guy who’s just taken the maglia rosa in the Giro d’Italia. He wanted to win the stage absolutely.

“Kamna may have thought there was a silent agreement, Lopez was just trying to win everything.”

Stage 4 highlights: Dumoulin, Nibali struggle as Kamna wins on Etna

Lopez became the first Spaniard since Alberto Contador in 2015 to don the pink jersey and leads the GC by 39 seconds from Kamna. Simon Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco) heads a group of pre-race favourites in fourth, 1:42 off the lead.

“I think the deal that might have been done is ‘I’ll take the stage, you take the pink’,” continued Adam Blythe.

“And he [Lopez] has probably gone ‘no, we’re racing’. I think you can have that chat but I initially think if you’ve got a chance for the stage win and the pink jersey, why wouldn’t you try and take both?

“Going into that corner, he’s obviously trying to get the stage. He doesn’t know how tight it is. I think the agreement that Kamna proposed to him is ‘you have the jersey, I’ll have the stage’ – and he’s just gone ‘hahaha, no’.”

For his part, Lopez was happy to admit that he was all-in for the stage win too.

“I tried to fight for the victory but it’s so difficult. But I have the jersey and I’m so happy,” he said.

The Giro enjoys one more outing in Sicily on Wednesday before heading to the mainland. It is expected to be a day for the sprinters, with Mark Cavendish (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) bidding for a second stage win to bolster his claim for a spot at the Tour de France this summer.