Fourth place for Piganzoli in Legazpi and EOLO-KOMETA being the best team
87º Santikutz Klasika
Legazpi – Legazpi (145,8 km)
Italian Davide Piganzoli made his debut on Spanish roads with the colours of the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team confirming his good form by finishing fourth in a race as demanding as the Santikutz Klasika. The event of Legazpi, habitual appointment of May 1 and dean inside a Copa de España in which this year it is the fifth round of the competition, was a race of great wear and very high demand. The victory went to Unai Iribar, after an attack on the final ascent to Las Minas, with the summit at 6 km. On that climb, a little earlier, Piganzoli himself had tested him.
The day of the U23 structure of the Contador Foundation lacked the icing on the cake of victory or the podium. A great morning of cycling, with the team always attentive to all race situations, with all riders fulfilling their role. The course and the weather conditions posed a race of elimination from the start. With just over 50 kilometres to go, only half of the peloton that had started a few hours earlier was still in the race.
The final passes through Liernia and Gabiria, and the non-scoring Kirtenberg selected even more, work to which also contributed the U23 of the Foundation promoting frequent accelerations. Fernando Tercero, Arnau Gilabert, Álex Martín, David Martín and Vicente Hernaiz applied themselves to this task at different times. Thus, the final ascent to Aztiria via Las Minas was a matter of about fifteen cyclists. Among them were Fernando Tercero, Vincente Hernaiz and Davide Piganzoli.
The Lombard attacked in the last 11 kilometres and was then caught by ‘lizarte’ Arrieta and ‘Labora’ Unai Iribar. The Basque rider launched an acceleration that proved to be definitive and allowed him to manage the fast descent with an advantage. Piganzoli finished fourth, with Fernando Tercero in sixth place 54 seconds behind and Vicente Hernaiz in ninth, just over a minute behind. Three riders in the top-ten that propelled the EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team to the team victory.
“I really enjoyed the Basque roads, it was my first experience here, although I didn’t enjoy the weather as much”, smiles the Lombard cyclist. “I’m feeling very good, on the last climb I feel really good and I attached, on the GPM I was with the couple of lizarte but in descende I lose a lot of”.
Rafa Díaz Justo, director of EOLO-KOMETA: “It was possibly the most demanding race of the entire Cup until today. Eleven climbs in a row, rain first, then sun and clouds, rain again… A very difficult day. I’m very happy with the performance of the whole team, the guys have been in all the important moves and have been riding very well positioned all day. It was a pity that David had a mechanical problem that forced us to change bike and plan. They have been very close to return to the first group with Arnau. It’s a pity. There’s that little prize of the team classification”.
