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Canadian superfan back at the Giro supporting country’s riders

Sean Moretti offers encouragement to a Canuck making his debut at the Italian Grand Tour

Sean Moretti the Canadian superfan at the Giro d'Italia and Derek Gee Photo by: Israel-Premier Tech
May 5, 2024
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You remember Sean Moretti, don’t you? Think back to the 2023 Giro in the midst of Derek Gee-mania. Moretti was there on the sides of the roads in Italy shouting his support for the Ottawa rider. The pair even traded gifts before a stage. Moretti gave Gee a book for identifying birds, as the rider is a twitcher. The supporter received Gee’s numbers that indicated his honour of being the most aggressive rider on a stage.

Well, Moretti is back in Italy. I spotted him on Stage 1’s Colle Maddalena. On that climb (6.1 km, average 7.4 per cent), sprinter Riley Pickrell of Israel-Premier Tech had lost contact with the main group. The Victoria rider was making his way up the hard incline with David Dekker of Arkéa-B&B Hotels and Adrien Petit of Intermarché–Wanty. While it was a fairly short stage, 140 km, it was a belter. The peloton had faced Superga, a roughly 8 km climb, 4.3 per cent average with a Cat. 3 rating. Although Tadej Pogačar was tipped as the likely winner, Jhonatan Narváez beat the Slovenian at the line.

For Pickrell, who is making his Giro debut, the stage was a serious introduction. He had had a busy early season. Highlights include a third-place in a stage of Tour de la Provence, 80 km in a breakaway at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and his first ride on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix. Since Roubaix in early April, Pickrell has been preparing for the Giro, which began with a bang.

Moretti was ready on Colle Maddalena. The man with hair in a ponytail and carrying a Canadian flag ran alongside Pickrell. He patted the rider on the back. Pickrell returned the gesture. The encouragement surely lifted Pickrell’s spirits on the slopes of the Cat. 2 climb.

The maple-leaf support is back.