Sensational victory for Matteo Moschetti in the second stage of the Tour of Burgos
40th Vuelta Ciclista a Burgos
Stage 2: Belorado-Castrojeriz (163 km)
The Italian Matteo Moschetti signed the ninth victory of the continental Polartec-Kometa this season, the eighth with the signature of the Milanese rider, by winning the sprint of the second stage of the Tour of Burgos, with the end in the town of Castrojeriz. Moschetti, who started in the last position of the general classification after losing almost fifteen minutes in the first stage as a result of a fall, showed all his quality in an imposing sprint where he negotiated the proximity of the hurdles and waited for his moment. Jon Aberasturi (Euskadi-Murias) from Alava is the new leader in the general classification.
In the most appropriate stage to attend a pure mass arrival, the sprint did not fail. But the Polartec-Kometa had already enjoyed prominence through the escape of the day, where this time it was the Granadino Alejandro Ropero who managed to integrate. Ropero, in his first trial with the continental team, where he is stagiaire, filmed with the French Cornu (Direct Energie) and Guarnelec (Fortuneo-Samsic), Ezquerra (Burgos-BH), López-Cozar and Fernández (Fundación Euskadi). A break started in the first ten kilometres that would be definitively neutralized with fifteen kilometres to go.
In the preparations for the sprint, after a great job by Juan Camacho and Patrick Gamper, Moschetti began to haunt the top positions with 2,000 metres to go. The Lombard did not go too far with a last attack by Lluis Mas (Caja Rural), already within the last kilometre; an attack neutralized by the preparations of Movistar, José Joaquín Rojas, for Carlos Barbero. The Burgos rider was on his way, with Moschetti in sixth place. The talented Transalpine made his way to the right side of the pitch and was on his way back to victory.
“It was a difficult, complicated and nervous ending. It was a little itchy up, but I did a good sprint. I am very happy. It is a very important victory, in a great race and in our first participation. I am very happy not only for myself, but for the whole team. I really don’t know what to say. It is simply magnificent. We are in a race with very good teams and good riders. We’re a small team, we’re all young… I’m very happy,” says a Moschetti who will soon be joining the Trek-Segafredo as a stagiaire, to which he’s already committed for the next two seasons.
“The best part of the day was Matteo’s victory,” says Alejandro Ropero without hesitation. “It was an incredible joy to reach the finish line and find out that I had won. My goal was to restore the confidence I had in myself by bringing me to this race and I think we were able to do it today. Although there are still three days left to prove it. My excitement right now is very high, after seeing myself there all the way through the stage, and I will continue to give it my all for the team.
The high mountain comes to the round of Burgos this Thursday with the high end at the Picón Blanco. The demanding summit of Espinosa de los Monteros, an old military route that has an average slope of 9% and maximum ramps of 17% in its almost nine kilometres, according to data from Ander Guaza and Juanto Uribarri in Altimetrias.com, will host the end of a 149 km stage in which runners will previously face up to four climbs of third category points. A day that will make a difference. But that comes after one of the happiest days in the heart of the continental Polartec-Kometa.
(automatic translation, sorry for mistakes)
