David Martin takes a fantastic fifth place in Belgium Tour

A great performance for the EOLO KOMETA Team on the first day of the Baloise Belgium Tour. A race full of climbs (up to 12) and with almost constant attacks, which did not allow the breakaways to make their way. The team always responded to the movements of the race, attentive but without getting involved in any of them. Protecting the leaders and finally getting into the select peloton that reached the final kilometres. David Martín was fifth in the sprint and EOLO KOMETA was the best team of the day.

Mathieu Van del Poel (Alpecin) was one of the most active at the head of the race, although the control of the teams with great sprinters and also of EOLO KOMETA gave no margin. Shortly after the Gold KM the peloton was together for a sprint in which David Martin found a great position and finished 5th, while Philipsen (Alpecin) took the victory. A very important top-5 for him, after several places of honour in the last races. A step forward to be among the best in the world in his terrain, in the sprint.

Stefano Zanatta: “It was a nervous stage with a lot of stress and crashes. One of them affected Mirco Maestri but without major consequences. At the end the group broke up, with 60 riders in the leading positions where we were able to place Albanese, Pietrobon, David Martin and Fetter. In the final part, they have behaved perfectly, they have confirmed their great ability to be protagonists and sign a great role in stages like today. We took the top-5 and we keep our chances in the overall classification”.

David Martín: “It was a fun stage that suits my characteristics: explosive climbs, cobblestones and wind. Today I felt pretty good and I think I have recovered well from the ZLM Tour in Holland. I’m more happy with the feeling than the result itself, now it’s time to keep working”.