Eighth place for Albanese in the opening and full gas in the TTT
Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
Stage 1 a: Gatteo – Gatteo (97,8 km)
Stage 1 b: Gatteo – Gatteo (10.8 km TTT)
A new edition of the Settimana Coppi e Bartali kicked off with a double sector, once so common in many races and now very rare. Another singularity of the Italian race in which the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team is looking for its first victory of the season. Mattia Frapporti (73rd), Edward Ravasi (75th), Erik Fetter (76th) and Alessandro Fancellu (77th) are the best in the overall after this opening.
In the morning stage in line, less than 100 kilometres and resolution to the sprint with an approach where the crashes appeared, good performance of the men in blue. Lorenzo Fortunato made his move during the second lap of the circuit, on the climb to the Muro di Longiano, with the race leader and the peloton separated by less than a minute.
In the sprint, won by Jarek Mareczko, Vincenzo Albanese took an outstanding eighth place. Marton Dina was one of the riders who crashed during the first sector, although he was able to continue normally.
In the afternoon, the team time trial. The first competition experience in this discipline on a modified route. The planned 14 kilometres were changed to 10.8 kilometres in the end. EOLO-KOMETA completed the course in a time of 12’08”, finishing 15th at the finish line, 32 seconds behind the winners. Israel won with a time of 11’36”. British rider Mark Cavendish is the first leader of the race after this first day.
Edward Ravasi: “Today was the most difficult day for me, because this morning it was windy and there was the risk of a fall. Then, the team time trial with the guys all went strong and by filing some details we would have gone even better. We are ready, ready for the next stages”.
Marton Dina: “I fell twice this morning. In the first crash we were at the entrance of a traffic circle, there were other riders in front of me and I didn’t see the gravel on the road: when I realized it was too late, and I found myself on the asphalt. I skinned my knees: ugly to see, but not too much pain so I started pedaling quietly. Around the 75th km, then, there was a crash exactly in front of me: I could not brake, I could not turn right, I could not turn left. So, I fell one more time. This time I felt bad at the moment, but when I started to pedal again I started to feel better and better. Of course, at the end of the stage I felt like a loser who fell twice: I hope I’ve run out of falls, at least for this race”.
This Wednesday the Settimana Coppi e Bartali faces a second stage with a lot of pepper. There will be 163 kilometres between Riccione and Sogliano al Rubicone. A 3.6 km uphill finish at 6.1% (and a 17% peak at the end) that will have to be tackled five times, four laps of a 23 km circuit, and which will be preceded by Torriana (2 km at 10%).
[ PhotoGomezSport]
