Rivi and Maestri’s Sanremo: a 260-kilometer-long breakaway

Let us mark a number in our heads: 260. Let us mark it in our heads and not forget it, because it is an important number, it is a number that makes us smile, it is a number that makes us proud. 260 are the kilometers spent in a breakaway, there in front, by Mirco Maestri and Samuele Rivi: a Milan-Sanremo all on the attack, before giving way to the final show of Van Der Poel, Ganna and Pogacar. Like a year ago – Rivi was still there, along with Sevilla – EOLO KOMETA honored the monumental race of world cycling by bringing respect to it with the effort of its riders, with the sweat of its boys.

260 kilometers of breakaway started immediately, with Maestri attacking first and then being followed by Rivi to form a small group of seven riders who took the stage and defended it until the Poggio attack. And it wasn’t easy, indeed: the group was ruthless and always kept the breakaway in their sights, never more than 3’30” lead, and the obligation to always go all-out to avoid being sucked in. A huge effort, rewarded by many hours of live TV coverage and the applause of the people. 

The finale, was something wonderful: the giants of cycling battling it out for one of everyone’s dreamed victories, Van Der Poel’s victory. And in the first group of chasers, here was our Gavazzi: among the last to break away on the Poggio, the captain showed off a race to applause. An example for all.

Samuele Rivi: “I wanted this breakaway with all my being, I needed it after a Tirreno-Adriatico in which I did not go as I would have liked. Evidently Milano-Sanremo brings me luck, since I had been in the breakaway all day last year as well. Of course, it was difficult because the group never left us space and we always had to pull: however, being in front in this race is beautiful.”

Mirco Maestri: “I understood that this breakaway would start right away, in fact I attacked after very few kilometers taking the small group behind me with Samuele who then formed the breakaway. The group could also have let us have a little more peace of mind, it would not have ended differently but at least we would have been able to catch our breath now and then. Instead we were always at full throttle because we felt the breath of the group on our necks.”

Stefano Zanatta: “Mission accomplished: we did what we had to, hitting the breakaway with two riders and staying on the attack until the end. Exactly as we had done last year. Congratulations must be given to the guys.”