Lorenzo Fortunato, and a team around him.
Five days on the roads of the Tour of the Alps that meant a lot to EOLO KOMETA.
Five days that first of all said that Lorenzo Fortunato is in great shape, that the work done so far (two periods of retreat in the mountains) is already paying off, that the approach to the Giro d’Italia is proceeding in the best way.
Fifth place in the general classification at 38″ from dominator Tao Geoghegan Hart (first of the Italians, the only rider from a Professional team in the top 9) is a great result and a starting point. It was known that Fortunato would go strong, but no one could have known how he would race: seeing him there at the front, always together with the strongest, changed the way the team raced. That it no longer approached the stages with the goal of getting into the day’s breakaway, but decided to keep all the teammates around its captain: to help him, to support him, to be with him as much as possible. That’s how great teams run that have a great captain. “The team,” said ds Jesus Hernandez, “has raced very well this week, always alongside its captain, and today in the last stage it did the same again. Lorenzo has shown that he has a great leg from day one, and that’s why we changed the way we raced.We are all very happy with this week, and I think our managers are happy too.”
What about him, what does he think? “I,” says Lorenzo Fortunato, “felt good, I felt better every day, and every day my confidence for the Giro d’Italia has grown. I saw that the team performed very well because it wasn’t just me going strong: and that, for the goals we have, is very important. Now I’m going to go for the Vuelta a Asturias trying to keep growing and maybe get some results. And then, off to the Giro d’Italia. With lots and lots of confidence.”
The last stage of the Tour of the Alps was won by Britain’s Simon Carr, while Fortunato arrived with the top group along with the Ineos men who escorted their captain Geoghegan Hart, winner of the general classification, to the finish line.
Tour of the Alps, general classification
1. Geoghegan Hart Tao (INEOS Grenadiers) in 19:29:50
2. Carthy Hugh (EF Education-EasyPost) + 22
3. Haig Jack (Bahrain Victorious) + 28
4. Cepeda Alexander (EF Education-EasyPost) + 36
5. Fortunato Lorenzo (EOLO-Kometa Cycling Team) + 38
6. Kämna Lennard (BORA-hansgrohe) + 45
7. Sivakov Pavel (INEOS Grenadiers) + 56
8. Buitrago Santiago (Bahrain Victorious) + 56
9. Gall Felix (AG2R Citroën Team) + 01:20
10. Træen Torstein (Uno-X Pro Cycling Team) + 01:34
