Ravasi and Christian ride in the front; Fetter moves ahead in the GC
44º Tour of the Alps
Stage 3: Imst – Naturno / Naturns (162 km)
No quiet day on a course that invites to be brave. Once again a frenetic start, with multiple breakaway attempts on a climb to the Piller Sattel, which on Wednesday was not a scoring climb. Finally a numerous breakaway of fifteen riders will consolidate in which the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team has double representation. The Italian Edward Ravasi, the best placed in the general classification of the team, and the British Mark Christian ride this breakaway with big names that conditions the rest of the day.
Ravasi and Christian ride with Gianni Moscon, Antonio Nibali, Luis León Sánchez, Harold Tejada, Matteo Fabbro, Felix Großschartner, Tejay Van Garderen, Alessandro de Marchi, Hermann Pernsteiner, Francois Bidard, Tony Gallopin, Michael Storer and Reuben Thompson. A high-level breakaway with ten riders represented, requiring the leader’s BikeExchange to ride hard. The hard-earned lead will never be more than three minutes. On the non-distinguishing climb of Frinig, the breakaway is selected and both Ravasi and Christian break away.
The rest of the stage, a day in which the Uno-X team withdrew due to the appearance of a positive case of COVID-19 in their ranks (speedy recovery, you were doing a great race) will be a battle between the remains of the breakaway, which was selected, and the peloton. Gianni Moscon wins and the main group, with leader Simon Yates, reaches 49 seconds. In that group are Erik Fetter and Marton Dina. Fetter, 28th at 3’21”, is now our best placed in the general classification.
On Thursday, the penultimate stage, the longest day of the Italo-Austrian round. And once again the mountains will be the main protagonist. In the 168.6 kilometres that separate Naturno from Pieve di Bono the riders will have to manage up to six different orographic difficulties, but only the Passo Campo Carlo Magno, the hardest of them all, and Boniprati, whose summit is less than seven kilometres from the finish line, will score for the grand prix of the mountains. Another day that is sure to provide a great spectacle.
Edward Ravasi: “I am moderately satisfied. At the start I felt good with the condition that has grown in recent days, I saw a good opportunity and I was back in the initial breakaway. I suffered a little bit this effort, I still miss these rhythms a little bit but I’m happy to have found them again. Tomorrow is another day and I’ll try to be protagonist“.
Erik Fetter: “The first 10 kilometres were difficult for me, I couldn’t get my legs going: I probably didn’t warm up, I don’t know. But I do know that I got better and better, kilometre after kilometre. I didn’t have any problem staying with the front group, I had great feelings, it was a good day. Of course, it would have been nice to be in the breakaway that arrived at the finish line: but we managed to put in two of our riders, and given the important names that made up the breakaway I think it was a great result for the team. Now I’m thinking about the white jersey, the classification is very open and I’m doing well…why not? Here at Eolo-Kometa I feel great, I’ve always dreamed of racing in a team like this: everything is managed in a very professional way and defending these colours for me is an honour”.
[ PhotoGomezSport]
