Albanese continues to add to his tally in Almeria
Clásica de Almería
El Ejido-Roquetas de Mar (188,2 km)
Top-10 for Vincenzo Albanese in the sprint at the Clásica de Almería. The Italian rider’s work and positioning in the final part of the race allowed him to compete in a finish that was won by Kristoff (Intermarché).
The wind did not blow as hard as expected, nor were the race’s climbs decisive. Only the tension and the passing of the kilometres conditioned the outcome of the race, with several crashes on the Roquetas del Mar circuit that made the sprint crazy.
Vincenzo Albanese knew he could be in the fight, he knew how to find the gap and involve the team. They were seen to appear in the leading positions, deserving their position for the mass finish. With 2 kilometres to go, Albanese himself looked for the wheel of the big sprinters to measure himself against them. In the final metres, he was able to fight for a 9th place that keeps the flame alive for the next competitions.
Jesús Hernández emphasizes the bet on Alba: “We have raced together, trying to save the falls and the truth is that it is to be happy. He is not a pure sprinter, but the team dynamic helps him to grow in a final like today. Serious, with a clear objective, we are getting results“.
The Clásica de Jaén tomorrow, with its sections of sterrato and rain forecast, as well as the Vuelta a Andalucía that starts this Wednesday, are set as the next objectives of EOLO Kometa.
Tour of Antalya, 4th stage
Antalya-Antalya (162,1 km)
Galloping like the fishes that populate the (beautiful) aquarium of Antalya, scenographic starting point of today’s stage, the sprinters were expected at the last sprint of this Tour of Antalya. Last chance, then, for our Lonardi.
It didn’t go as hoped. Mareczko won at the finish line, with the EOLO-KOMETA team very good at managing the final part with the work of Dina, Bevilacqua, Rivi and Bais but unlucky in the last meters.
Biagio Conte: “We knew that in the final part of the race the group would be large, compact and with a lot of energy: many wanted to make this sprint because it was the last stage. The guys were good, they did everything they had to do, we still have to learn some mechanisms and understand what is the right time to start: this is still missing to some of them because they have never done it. We worked well to keep Lona in front, but maybe we accelerated a bit too early. We were not here with all the strongest men, I think that with Maestri the train would have been different. This Tour of Antalya went well, in my opinion: we raced as a team, we didn’t get the victory but everyone showed a good condition. So, as Fran Contador always says, “We go forward”.
SprintCycling
