Fourth stage, third breakaway, first top-10 for Team Polti Kometa in this Giro d’Italia

Fran Muñoz will have a lot to tell in the next episode of his diary! After Pietrobon and Bais broke away in the first two stages and the hard work yesterday to keep the race under control, in the 4th stage of the Giro d’Italia the only non-Italian Polti Kometa man rides 185 kilometers ahead in a route from Piedmont to Liguria, also passing first through the intermediate sprint in Calizzano and the intergiro in Altare.

He and his two adventure companions (both World Tour riders) cross the Melogno pass together, then the young Spaniard remaines alone with De Bod. The pair is only caught 5000 meters from the finish, on the Laigueglia straight which is the scene every year of the homonymous trophy, just before Capo Mele. A scenario that, recalling San Remo where on March 16th Team Polti Kometa performed beautifully, applauds another day of attack by Stefano Zanatta’s boys.

But it doesn’t end here. At the end of a great chase against the counter-attacker Ganna, Giovanni Lonardi finishes 10th in the sprint in Andora won by Milan. “Preparing a sprint downhill is always difficult,” says Lonardi. “I had excellent feelings throughout the course, climb included. In the last kilometer I tried to position myself as best as possible, and in the end I achieved the team’s first top-10 in this Giro. But I’m not content…”

Muñoz: “My mission this morning was to get into the breakaway and I accomplished it, even though when you’re ahead until the last kilometers you hope to hit the jackpot. Realistically it wasn’t easy, with all the sprinter trains eager to catch us, anyawy it’s essential to be there and get close, to be ready to seize the right opportunity when it shows up.”

Sports director Zanatta: “We wanted to form a breakaway to take advantage of the wind in our favor at the end, we managed to shape a trio but unfortunately Calmejane sat up after the KOM. Fran and the EF athlete did a great job going so far, we are also happy with Lona‘s tenth position and we want to continue on this path.”