Maestri and Fetter will represent Polti Kometa at the European Championships in Belgium
The great season of Team Polti Kometa, full of hard work and satisfaction both cycling and human, finds today an important prize from the Italian National Cycling Team: the call-up of Mirco Maestri for both the mixed team relay and the road race of the European Championships, which will take place this week in the Belgian province of Limburg; and Erik Fetter for the road race with Hungarian National Cycling Team.
The Polti Kometa captain will therefore be competing in the continental event wearing the legendary azzurra jersey tomorrow from 14:20, together with two WorldTour colleagues such as Affini and Cattaneo and the three women Cecchini, Guazzini and Masetti, and then in the prestigious individual race starting in Zolder on Sunday at 12:30.
Always ready to lead his teammates and put himself at the disposal of the team’s objectives, Maestri particularly distinguished himself this year with his courageous breakaways in the most important races of the year such as Milan-Sanremo and Giro d’Italia. Unforgettable above all was the 12th stage with the great breakaway together with Alaphilippe, which gave rise to the esteem and friendship between the two. More recently, 7th place at the Italian time trial championships and two near victories in France: the climbers’ classification at the Tour du Limousin and the decisive time trial in Poitou Charentes.
Maestri: ‘When coach Daniele Bennati told me that I would also be running the individual race on Sunday (the call-up for the team relay had been known days ago), I was overcome with emotion that still gives me goose bumps several hours later. I am enjoying this feeling and will give 100% and more to repay this trust. Of course I’m also very happy for the team, because when a rider goes to the national team it means that the team has given him all the tools to perform at his best. So I thank Basso and the Contador brothers, Stefano Zanatta and all the sports directors and members of the technical staff, through to Francesca Polti and all the sponsors.’
At the start of the Limburg road race there will also be another Polti Kometa jersey in white, red, and green: the Hungarian jersey of Erik Fetter, who this year went millimetres away from the Magyar title and confirmed himself as one of the strongest and most valuable team men. He will be at the start of Sunday’s road race, these are his words: ‘This race was a goal for the whole season, I like having the opportunity to race in Belgium, to compete in one-day classics like this and to do it in the colours of the national team.’
Ivan Basso, sports manager: ‘Having both our Captain, an Italian from an Italian ProTeam, and a rider of long militancy in our team such as Erik in their respective national teams in an appointment of such importance as the European Championships, fills both me and every member of this structure with pride, including the sponsors and anyone who has decided to support the project. For Mirco, moreover, it is the first call-up of his life, at almost 33 years of age, a well-deserved reward for his all-round values as an athlete and as a man. You never forget your first azzurra jersey!’
