Paul Double tenth on a classic-like course at the Tour of Slovenia

It wasn’t the queen stage of the Tour of Slovenia, but this third day presented the riders with a very challenging up-and-down course. Adding to the difficulty was the aggressive way the peloton approached the race: two breakaways to chase down between the capital region and the Goriška Brda, until, on the second Ravnica climb, Team Polti Kometa stayed with Paul Double in the group fighting for victory.

Aleotti (BORA) won thanks to a downhill attack. The English climber (who did well on the initial Hrušica climb, passing second at the summit) finished 10th in Nova Gorica, just a stone’s throw from the Italian border, and is 12th in the GC. Unfortunately, after the crash two days ago and the big effort yesterday, Davide Piganzoli abandoned due to the knee pain from the crash.

Double: “These three days have been an intense return to racing. It’s a pity we lost some seconds on the opening day, but I’m happy with how I rode in this finale and we’ll try to recover as much ground as possible over the weekend!”

Sports director Jesús Hernández: “Great spirit of sacrifice from the whole team on a classic-like course. Special compliments to Alex Martín for positioning Paul before the last climb and then finishing in the first chasing group. The placements aren’t the most important thing today, but the way we raced and the excellent condition in preparation for tomorrow’s uphill finish.”