Gabriele Bessega 10th in the last stage in Castellón with Bálint Feldhoffer in the breakaway

The last day of the Volta Castelló started for the team without options to fight in the general classification and with three riders on the start line. The combativeness was the hallmark of these three with the breakaway of Bálint Feldhoffer and the tenth place of Gabriele Bessega.

The stage started at a very high pace and with the bunch very controlled. It was not until the 38th kilometre when the first breakaway of the day was formed with the presence of the young Hungarian Bálint Feldhoffer. Just as Álex García did in stage three, Feldhoffer looked for his chances from a distance. Feldhoffer himself crossed the intermediate sprint in La Pobla first, demonstrating his involvement in the breakaway. The pack did not let the gap open and the advantage was only slightly over a minute. On the climb to the Alto de las Palmas (2nd), which would be decisive on the day, the large breakaway of 24 riders gradually broke up, with Bálint being one of the riders who lost contact.

In the end the peloton could not catch all the escapees and a small group of 9 riders arrived with enough advantage to fight for the stage victory. Gabriele Bessega led the race leader’s group into the finish line in 10th place.

“Our best option was if the race went to a sprint, but there was a breakaway of 24 riders and nine of them arrived. We went day by day and things didn’t work out. Let’s hope that this is an impasse for the next stage races and that it makes us learn”, explained Miguel Gómez, director of the squad in Castellón.

Gabriele Bessega was the best classified of the team in a very fought fourth stage: ‘Today the stage was very nervous and with many attacks, we arrived at the final climb with 1 minute and a half of delay and we almost recovered it at the finish. I’m sorry for the health problems that forced my team-mates to retire in the first stages”.