Uphill sprint at the Tour of Slovakia, 10th place for Paul Double

After yesterday’s TTT Team Polti Kometa confirmed its good physical and mental shape in the first road stage of the Tour of Slovakia: perfect management of the work in the peloton, with a breakaway of three men caught ten kilometers from the explosive finish in Hlohovec. There, the 800-meter uphill finish saw Paul Double sprint with the best and finish tenth: “I admit I didn’t feel great during this long raceday,” commented the English climber, who recently achieved a top 10 finish in Slovenia but also dealt with less-than-optimal health between these two races, “anyway my teammates’ attitude and my legs were excellent, so I managed to secure a solid placement that I aim to improve further between Saturday and especially Sunday.”

Sports Director Biagio Conte: “It wasn’t easy to save energy because the start was quite nervous, and it took a while for that small breakaway to form. The finale was then complicated, a crash involving other riders slowed down Gomez and Garosio and then the entrance to the final climb was rather narrow with the peloton arriving compact. Great work by everyone and Paul, by staying among the leaders, allows us to look forward with optimism to the three days of increasing difficulty that lie ahead.”