Fran Muñoz fights like a lion in the Gran Piemonte in memory of his mentor

In the official announcement of Team Polti Kometa‘s lineup for the Gran Piemonte, Fran Muñoz was described as combative. No definition could have been more accurate and immediate. The Catalan rookie, in his last race of the season and still bandaged after a crash earlier this month in Croatia, breaks away with three other riders after ten kilometers, even reaching a six-minute lead. When he is caught with 45 kilometers to go on the second of three climbs of the day, he doesn’t lose ground and ultimately finishes 26th in the sprint of the chasing group behind solo winner Powless from EF.

Besides the sporting determination that he and his teammates show everyday, Muñoz himself explains the extra motivation that pushed him on the roads of Piedmont: “I wanted to give it a try with an early move to honor the memory of the one who made me a cyclist, Paco Galvez, who was my sports director in the Cadets of Unió Ciclista Vilanova and passed away the day before yesterday. He taught me to ride with the so-called cojones to value both my talent and the squad. The same attributes that I put on the bike today; when I realized that the race had exploded behind us and that they would catch us, I didn’t give up and managed myself until the finish line.”

“Many, many compliments and a hug to Fran” is the message from Polti Kometa’s car by Giovanni Ellena. Because sometimes, you really don’t need rivers of words to express the best comment.