11 Jun 2023

Lonardi 8th and David Martin 11th at the end of ZLM Tour

ZLM Tour (2.Pro)

Stage 4: Oosterhout - Oosterhout (158'5km)

EOLO KOMETA said goodbye to ZLM Tour with a great group work and placement that put Giovanni Lonardi eighth and David Martín eleventh, in the leading positions of the sprint. A fourth stage in which the team tried again to be in the breakaway, although without success, and which once again demonstrated the team’s adaptation to all types of competitions.

The week of race in the Netherlands came to an end and the team’s performance was improving, with two great performances in the third and fourth stages, which led Lonardi to the top-10 in the sprints that took place. The good positioning, the understanding between team-mates to avoid dangerous situations and the determination to achieve good results paid off with a young and strong line-up.

The breakaway was also a goal today, in this case with a duo that included Javi Serrano, who tried to catch the three riders at the head of the race. A task without reward, as the gap never dropped below 1 minute and they were finally neutralised by the peloton.

The final laps of the Oosterhout circuit showed again the nerves and the importance of riding well positioned to avoid crashes, echelons and possible cuts. On this occasion, the hard work paid off and Lonardi took eighth place while David Martin was eleventh.

Giovanni Lonardi: “Today’s stage was a little more quiet and was ridden under the control of the sprinters’ teams. In the final part, I tried to be as well positioned as possible in the curve before the last kilometre because I knew that the position there practically marked how we were going to enter the finish line. I gave everything to be in the fight and I’m happy after a while without racing to be back in the sprint finishes”.

Biagio Conte: “We were able to get back into the top places with Lonardi, we worked well for the goal of fighting for the sprint with David Martin and with him, so we can be satisfied. In a way it’s also good news to think about the Belgium Tour and to take advantage of our form to improve our results”.