4th place for Santiago Basso on the first stage in Loulé

A stage that started with rain and wind raging over the riders and ended up being shortened marks the beginning of the Volta ao concelho de Loulè. Santiago Basso was the best of the team being third of the bunch and 4th of the stage.

From the start the wind and the rain seemed to be the agitators of the day and so it was. The organisers decided to change the route and at kilometre 23 the race was diverted to rejoin the 57 kilometre of the stage. Therefore, the stage ended up covering 45 kilometres of the 76 pre-established.

With 15 kilometres to go, one rider, who lately would be the winner of the stage, attacked, but nobody worked in a main group that was completely broken by the terrain and the weather. In the end the peloton arrived with a 50″ delay over the winner and first leader of the race. All the team members finished in the peloton except for Robinson Rincón, who suffered a snag on one of the climbs without major consequences. Santiago Basso finished 4th as the best representative of the team.

“The feeling is good, we have a great team, but we have to rethink the race a bit after today’s result. You can’t win on the first day, but you can lose. We will keep fighting,” said Isaac Canton, sports director at the end of the first stage in Portugal.

“Today the rain and the strong winds had a big impact on the race, in fact it was shortened to 50 km. The feeling was excellent, the legs were great. It’s a pity not to have been ahead, on the breakaway, but I’m happy with 4th place and feeling confident for the next days”, explained Santiago Basso as the best rider of the team in a first stage affected by the weather.