Piganzoli defends his top-10 overall in the Skoda Tour ITT

Take a climber who has been working hard on his time trial skills to become a Grand Tour contender, add an ITT with a climb in the middle, and you get Davide Piganzoli defending his top-10 overall on the penultimate day of the Skoda Tour, in a short but tricky test against the clock in Differdange.

The talented rider from Valtellina was the only one from Polti Kometa to break the 20-minute mark with a time of 19:54.49, earning him 15th place in the stage and 8th in the GC. Earlier Mirco Maestri, wearing his azzurro helmet after the victorious European Mixed Relay, finished in 20:14.73 moving back into the top 20 overall.

For the record, Ayuso won and Van der Poel regained the yellow jersey. The final act in Luxembourg city promises to be explosive and Polti Kometa will aim to get into the mix.

Piganzoli: “We had to go full gas, the course suited me and I had the legs for it. I tried to race as best as I could and my result reflects the great work done by the whole team. Tomorrow will be a tough finale, we’ll try to get into the break and aim for a sprint finish with our fastest guys.”

Sports Director Stefano Zanatta: “Maestri felt the fatigue of these two excellent weeks but, as always, gave everything he had. Piga managed the 10% ramp perfectly and then maintained a strong rhythm to the finish. Important signs of growth.”