A crash in the final kilometre dislocates Gazzoli at the end of Madrid: “I was left behind and lost several positions”
32ª Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid
Madrid-Madrid (99.9 km)
With a resolution to the ‘puestómetro’, this Sunday concluded in the Paseo de la Castellana of Madrid an edition of the Madrid round in whose final sprint could not involve the great trick of the Kometa Cycling Team, Michele Gazzoli, by the disorder related to a crash within the last kilometer; a sprint that gave a double success for the French Arkéa-Samsic: stage for Maxime Daniel and general for Clément Russo. Italy’s Antonio Puppio, 27th, was the first of the young riders in the Alberto Contador Foundation’s continental line-up at the finish line. In the 51st place, at the age of 19, Samuele Rubino was the best classified in the general classification. A frenetic Sunday.
A frequent cyclist, with a much more climbing profile, in absolute contrast to Antonio Puppio or Juan Camacho, Rubino could be seen prowling the front of the pack during the dispute of this final stage of the Madrid round. The objective was clear: to work for Michele Gazzoli’s options in the sprint, protecting him to the maximum. The finish ended up being disorganised by a fall within the last kilometre and Gazzo could not fight for the victory. “Unfortunately that fall made me stay behind and I lost several positions,” lamented Gazzo. “It was a coincidence that we finished in front, because this sprint was a lottery and we couldn’t compete with Gazzoli”, tells Puppio. “We had to run in front with as little effort as possible”, says Rubino, who faced in the Vuelta a Madrid the fifth round of his first year in the elite and accumulates twelve days of competition so far in 2019.
In the final circuit there were also some escape attempts. Diego Pablo Sevilla tried to catch during the second lap what would be the most consistent and lasting, but without success. The break, in any case, was born doomed. In the platoon there were many interests and a general one to solve.
Without being his best day on the bicycle, did not stop contributing in favor of the team the manchego Isaac Canton: “I had a bad time. It’s a circuit where you are throwing the bike all the time and with the discomfort of the wounds I had a hard time moving. I am happy because I have been very strong mentally and I could finish. Perhaps the easiest thing was to get off the bike, but these are also the moments in which to learn to value a good state of form, to take advantage of it, and of course to manage the bad moments. In the future, in a great lap, you can pass and you know you can recover, turn and end up taking advantage of the state of form. Right now I’m in pain, but it’s time to recover and think about what’s to come. I hope I can play a good role”.
Jesus Hernandez, sports director of the continental team: “This edition has been very controlled by the WorldTour team and the French continental teams, above all. Movistar, Direct Energie and Arkea have had a lot of weight in a race where Paco Mancebo has been the strongest in terms of breaks. The first day, with Diego’s presence in the breakaway and the leadership of the mountain, we had a share of protagonism to which we could not give continuity. But this race, beyond the unfortunate crash of Isaac Canton, leaves us with very positive readings, such as going out to race to try to defend the leadership of the mountain and adapt to the evolution of the race, situations that riders also have to know, live and manage. The team is very young, but they run together with clear ideas. That goes on and now it’s time for the Vuelta a Aragón”.
(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)
