Bais immediately takes back the green jersey and Maestri tries to surprise at the Tirreno Adriatico

After losing the green jersey yesterday in Umbria, Davide Bais already regains it in Abruzzo by breaking away in the Tirreno-Adriatico fourth stage: the Trentino man from Team Polti Kometa attacks alongside captain Maestri and four other riders to grab valuable KOM points on the chilly Valico di Castelluccio.

Cleared this mission, the team led by sports director Stefano Zanatta isn’t content. When 30 kilometers from Giulianova finish, indeed, Bais eases off satisfied with a couple of breakaway companions, Mirco Maestri remains ahead to escape with Kamp and Abrahamsen. An attempt that nearly succeeds, with the group catching the trio only in the last kilometer and initiating the uphill sprint won by Milan.

“We started with a double target,” explains Maestri, “the jersey and the stage. When I saw that the Tudor-Uno X duo next to me were agreeing to break away, I managed to stay behind them and we proceeded in full agreement. I’m sorry because several times in my career I’ve been caught just a short distance from the line; sooner or later, I hope to go all the way. On the other hand, I’m happy because I feel I’m improving, and I could help Davide regain the leadership in the climbers’ classification. It’s a reward for our fighting spirit and focus that we’ll try to put on the road again in the coming days!”

Now Bais has a lead of one point over Quartucci: “I strongly want this jersey, after wearing it for two years without being able to keep it until the end,” assures Davide, “so I’ll still look for breakaways and points in the coming days. It wasn’t easy to find the right action this morning; my brother Mattia and of course Mirco helped me, and it wasn’t easy even to sprint at the top because I felt frozen. However, in Saturday’s queen stage, I’ll also give a hand to Matteo Fabbro and Davide Piganzoli.”

Commenting today’s post-race from the team car is Jesús Hernández: “We achieved the main goal of the green jersey and attempted the big target; the finish was a bit challenging for our fast wheels, but it’s a good day that shows the seriousness and condition of Polti Kometa in this race. We also safely brought Fabbro and Piganzoli to the finish line, and tomorrow the first real battles for the general classification will begin…”