Team Polti Kometa compact for Piganzoli, 18th in the decisive Tirreno Adriatico climb

Tirreno Adriatico sixth and penultimate stage, landing in the Marche region and nearly finalizing the general classification before the Sunday parade for sprinters in San Benedetto del Tronto.

The ten kilometers at 8% gradient of mount Petrano, climbed from Cagli, highlight two Polti Kometa jerseys: firstly that of Mirco Maestri, who after positioning Lonardi in the sprint in recent days and attempting a subsequent coup in the breakaway, today as a true leader withstands the day’s ups-and-downs to escort and encourage Davide Piganzoli at the foot of the finish uphill.

From there, the talent not yet twenty-two years old, winner of last month’s Tour of Antalya, plays his game with his legs and his head: he can’t respond to the expected but relentless winning attack by Vingegaard (which allows the two-time Tour de France champion to catch up with the remnants of the breakaway and enjoy the triumph), so he grits his teeth behind the chasers and only in the last kilometers is forced to lose a little more ground. But his final 18th place lets him gain 4 GC positions and enter the top-20.

“We all worked well,” comments an exhausted but satisfied Piganzoli, “I gave everything on the climb to achieve a really good result.”

These are the sports director Stefano Zanatta‘s words: “Hard stage from the start, it was difficult to join the breakaway also because, with Matteo Fabbro’s withdrawal this morning, we had one less man. Our riders in the race were very good at giving their all for Piga, who’s finishing the corsa dei due mari on the upswing and will bring home another great experience for his future.”