Sevilla shows the spirit of the Foundation on the Hungarian roads
42º Tour de Hongrie
Stage 1: Siófok – Kaposvár (173 km)
Diego Pablo Sevilla was one of the main protagonists of the first day of the Tour de Hongrie thanks to his attacking character and his combativeness. The breakaway ended for him with nine kilometres to go. In the sprint, where Luca Pacioni was closed when he was in a good position, the German Phil Bauhaus won. The German is the first leader of a general classification in which Sevilla, thanks to the bonuses, is fifth.
The rider from Madrid of the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team, who had crowned second the great prize of the mountain of the day, fought and persevered until he managed to consolidate the breakaway for which he had worked so hard. From the start he rode with Slovenian Aljaž Omrzel, gaining almost a minute’s lead. The peloton reacted, his breakaway was neutralised and Sevilla was back on the road a few kilometres later.
After 35 kilometres, the rider from San Martín de la Vega formed a trio with Belgian Fabio Van den Bossche and Polish rider Patrick Stosz. The three, well matched in the collaborations, never enjoyed more than three minutes, but their common effort kept the breakaway alive with a minute and a half that could not be neutralised by the work of the peloton. Only a level crossing began to erode the hitherto intense pulse. Nevertheless, neither Sevilla, Stosz nor Van den Bossche gave an inch and remained in the lead with a gap of less than a minute. It was a beautiful and vibrant battle.
“I caught up to three breakaways today. They wouldn’t let me go. Finally we were able to consolidate this breakaway. The bad thing was that I had a pretty fast team-mate to fight for the sprints and the bonuses. But we had to fight. And I was quite happy to be able to give a presence to the team, although it was a pity that I couldn’t get a podium today. I’m happy to have been able to get a bonus to have a good position in the general standings and that in the next few days our car will also have a good position in the caravan. Everything counts. Now it’s time to try to fight for the mountains”, tolds Sevilla after the stage.
This Thursday the Tour de Hongrie faces a second stage slightly longer in terms of mileage, 183 km, connecting Balatonfüred and Nagykanizsa and with two mountain passes in its initial part. Another stage a priori ideal for a sprint resolution and to see again the fight between the breakaways and the interests in a mass finish.
[ PhotoGomezSport]
