Double 2nd in the “queen stage” and enters the top-10 at the Tour of Slovenia

Germán Gómez had said it in the preview of the Tour of Slovenia: “During the period away from competition, I have prepared properly and I can’t wait to prove it!”

Paul Double had said it yesterday after finishing 10th in the third stage: “I’m happy with how I’m riding and will definitely try to make up as much ground as possible!”

And with the English climber, sports director Jesús Hernández had also expressed: “The placements aren’t the most important thing today, but the way we raced and the excellent condition in preparation for tomorrow’s uphill finish.”

Said and done. In today’s stage, the entire Team Polti Kometa gave a great show of strength, staying compact with the six men left in the race after Piganzoli’s withdrawal: for 135 kilometers heading north in the Slovenian Eden, the squad stayed together in the group over the climbs of Golo, Topol, and Čepulje to escort their GC contender to the foot of the final ascent to Krvavec. There, Gómez stayed alongside Double both in absorbing the three survivors of the eight breakaway riders of the day and in the subsequent steep ramps that strongly thinned out the main bunch.

At 4 kilometers from the finish, the young Colombian finished his splendid work, and at 3 kilometers three attacked with only the Polti Kometa climber able to respond, even trying to outwit his opponents at 1,200 meters and relaunch at 400 meters. In the final hairpins Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) won, but right behind him was Double, taking 2nd ahead of the green jersey Aleotti.

“I’m extremely happy with the personal result and the performance of my teammates!” says Paul, who with this podium performance enters the top-10 overall, occupying the 7th position on the eve of the Novo Mesto epilogue. “I felt protected and could totally focus on responding to potential attacks. When Bilbao made the first move I initially held back at the head of a small chasing group, then seized the right moment to rejoin the trio in front. In the last kilometer, his greater power prevailed and I gathered the best I could. Now let’s finish on a high note.”

This is Hernández‘s comment: “How satisfying it is to see the guys perform so well to contest a victory against World Tour opponents and be beaten only by an athlete who has won stages at the Giro and Tour. Everyone did their job excellently, from the first to pull on the flat to those who were up there until the end. Here in the team car, we are all proud.”