Diego Pablo Sevilla: “From now on, every race will be a World Championship for me”

Diego Pablo Sevilla finished his first Tour of Normandie on Sunday in the thirteenth place overall and, even better, third in the young classification, curiously a place ahead of Kenny Molly, former rider of the Alberto Contador Foundation and now professional in The Ago-Aqua Service of Belgium. It was only his second stage race of this category in the inhospitable territory of the north of France, after last year’s Tour de Bretagne, but it was enough for the rider from San Martin de la Vega to return with much morale. “I think I’ve been very competitive and very close to the best”, he says as a summary.

“I have compared this race a lot with last year’s Tour of Bretagne and I have not finished as tired as then”, says Sevilla. “Maybe because it has not been as hard as Bretagne and the weather has been somewhat better, or maybe because I have one more year. The last few days were the hardest, but they were also the ones with the more broken roads and that was good for me. When we opened gas, I was always ahead, when there were only 15 or 20 riders”.

The Tour de Normandy began to be decide in the first stage, terribly selective. “The result of that first stage was not accidental, because then I have always been there. The race has been dominated by pro-continental teams, Fortuneo and Veranclassic. It was a lesson for the whole team, it was worth seeing. For me there are two conclusions to draw from this race. One about myself, that I’m not so far from the good ones, which motivates me a lot to fight to the fullest and try to be professional, and another about the team, that we have shown that we can be there in front, fighting for the position at the same level as the others do”.

Sevilla points out the difference that has noticed in the Polartec with respect to other races. “It’s true that having someone well placed in the GC motivates a lot, but I think as a team we have also been better. We have been together every day there in front, and we haven’t done it before, even though three riders have made their debut in this terrain, Cantoni, Viegas and Gelabert, but they are very good”.

The Tour de Normandie can mark a before and after in the season of Diego Pablo Sevilla. At least he’s going to try. “This year I have not scored any targets, because when you mark it and you do not get it, you get a blow. All I want is to give the maximum, to find my best moment of form and to make it last, to be regular for a longer time. This month will be very important. From now on, to Bidasoa, every race will be a World Cup for me”.

(Automatic translation. Forgive inaccuracies).