8 Apr 2024

Giro d’Abruzzo, 4 stages for all tastes with a view of the “corsa rosa”

Giro d’Abruzzo (2.1)

9th - 12th April

After the Easter break Team Polti Kometa inaugurates a high-intensity period by going to race in the heart of Italy: it is one of the 22 teams that will baptize the newborn Giro d’Abruzzo tomorrow. Four racedays covering over 160 kilometers each, representing all types of existing road stage: the first for sprinters, the second for reduced sprints, the third in the mountains that will shape the overall classification (moreover, the last 60 km will be the same as the 8th stage of the Giro d’Italia, exactly one month later) and the last one for breakaways and attacks.

Polti Kometa will field seven men: four who faced the Settimana Coppi e Bartali ups and downs in March, namely Paul Double, German Gomez, Alex Martìn and Javier Serrano; with them will be a trio that had already competed in the Tour of Taiwan, namely Davide De Cassan and the Spanish duo for sprints, David Martìn-Manuel Peñalver.

“In light of what he has shown so far, we have decided to continue aiming for the GC with Paul – explains the sports director Biagio Conte – while in the first two days we’ll focus mainly on our two fast wheels, not neglecting Javier who is fully recovered from his Rwanda crash…”

For the first time this year (if we don’t consider the Ruta del Sol which was resolved in a 5 km mini-ITT) the two Martìns are racing together, sharing surname and nationality but having different backgrounds and characteristics.

The Catalan climber Alex (you can see him in the cover photo on the top, together with De Cassan: the two of them and Gomez will be Double’s bodyguards) states: “It’s a rather interesting event, which will involve every type of rider and will be decided in the uphill finish on Thursday. It will be challenging and I’m ready, we are in an increasingly important phase of the season and we’ll do our best.”

The Andalusian sprinter David adds a thought that goes beyond cycling: “Since my last competition so far was Taiwan, I want to send a warm embrace to the population affected by the earthquake in recent days. Coming to Abruzzo (a land that was hit by a serious earthquake 15 years ago, editor’s note) I’m motivated to fight together with a group of teammates capable of competing for any goal in this race!”