The ‘five’ of the Kometa saves without incidences a prologue for explosive riders with British triumph
42º Giro d´Italia Giovani Under 23
Prologue: Riccione-Riccione (3,3 km CRI)
It was 18.21 in the afternoon when Arturo Grávalos began his career in the present edition of the Giro d’Italia sub213. The rider from La Rioja was the first of the five riders of the Kometa Cycling Team to start his participation in the Corsa Rosa. A Giro Baby that started with a prologue of 3.3 kilometres in the streets of Riccione, next to the Adriatic. The only individual time trial of this edition, with a flat track, emerged as a first contact for a team with a much more climbing than rolling profile.
“The most important thing is that we have finished the prologue without any mishap”, thanks the director Rafa Díaz Justo. In the stage the British Ethan Hayter (British selection) won, penultimate of the riders in taking the start and, consequently to his triumph (03:55, a 50,5 km/h), first pink maglia of the present edition. A very homogeneous performance of the five cyclists of the Alberto Contador Foundation’s U23 team, who faced the time trial with conventional bicycles. Carlos García (150º) and Sergio García (152º) finished at 25 seconds, 27 gave Jhon Stive Ramírez and Arturo Grávalos (156º and 157º), respectively; Edu Pérez-Landaluce (163º) finished at 29 seconds from the winner.
“This first contact has been spectacular, a last one. It is difficult to explain in words what you get to feel. And the most beautiful thing about the Giro is yet to come. In the end it was a time trial in which the goat could win more. But in the end the important thing is to save these first days, to avoid the mishaps. We are looking forward to the mountain to see where we can be”, explains Carlos García. “Beyond the fact that I went a little too far in some corners, it didn’t go badly for me. It was a prologue that was too explosive and the differences, with all that remains of the Giro, were not so important either”, assesses Arturo Grávalos. “We finally got rid of those nerves from the first day and now we can say that the race is really starting. In the end this was a prologue for very explosive people, almost did not give you even time to suffer,” said the Asturian Eduardo Perez-Landaluce.
“We didn’t come with great expectations to this prologue”, contextualizes Díaz Justo. “We came to this Giro with five climbers. It’s true that time trial bikes could have improved the times a bit, but I don’t think it would have been much either. We have made this bet not to bring goats, which logistically also alleviates problems. The most important thing is to get rid of these days, their nerves, the large number of cyclists. This Giro is a very difficult race, very complicated, we go day by day to see how we get to the first finish in high, on Monday”.
This Friday, to begin, a 143.2 kilometre stage that will connect Riccione with Santa Sofia. A first stage in which the resolution by means of a volata could be very clear if it were not for the presence of Passo delle Forche, in the third category, with ten kilometres to go in the Piazza Mortani of this town.
(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)
