A fifth place of Stefano Oldani in Oviedo to bid farewell to a bittersweet Vuelta a Asturias
62ª Vuelta Ciclista a Asturias
Stage 3: Cangas del Narcea – Oviedo (120 km)
The Vuelta a Asturias closed this Sunday with a frenetic day in which the Alto de El Violeo, with its summit less than eight kilometers for the arrival in the street Uría de Oviedo, emerged as the key moment for the resolution of this third stage, given its double-digit ramps. The team of the Kometa Cycling Team, still resigned by the absence of the Luxembourger Michel Ries after his fall in the descent of the Acebo Sanctuary and his automatic abandonment, turned to protect the Italian Stefano Oldani, who finally signed an outstanding fifth place.
Oldani, well supported by his team mates until the decisive moment of the race, changed his strategy with respect to the first stage, where he could be seen behind Mikel Landa in the climb to Carabanzo. Unlike Friday, the Milaner chose to face El Violeo further back to take advantage of the terrain behind the summit and return to the top of the race. In the stage the Portuguese Edgar Pinto (W52-Porto) would prevail, while in the general stage the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz (Movistar) would win again for the second consecutive edition. Isaac Cantón, who finished in the 40th position at 11:49 of the winner, was the first cyclist of the Kometa in the general final of the Asturian round.
“We did a very good team work, we went all day together to try to make a good end. As the other day it is possible that I started the climb too far ahead, today I opted to start from further back. I think I managed it better, regulating much better. Already in the descent I was able to catch the leading group one kilometre from the finish line and I was able to get into the sprint. The feeling that I had is that I finished fourth, but beyond that impression the most positive thing is that the feelings were very good throughout the day,” explains Oldani himself.
“Apart from the fall of Michel Ries in the descent of the Acebo, who was our strong man for the general classification and was coming in a great moment, the balance we make of this Vuelta a Asturias is positive. A great experience. We left with a good assessment, because we have a very young team eager to learn the trade. We are missing the victories of Matteo Moschetti last season, but the image is still the same: that of a serious team, that runs ahead, that always gives the face,” said Jesus Hernandez, director of the Kometa Cycling Team, after the race.
(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)
? Miki Lopez
