Italian Filippo Fortin took his second victory on the Slovenian spring classic Grand Prix Adria Mobil; he won the sprint finish of the larger group that came together to the last three short laps in Novo mesto. Best Slovenian cyclists on the race was Žiga Grošelj that took 7th.
Grand Prix Adria Mobil (UCI 1.2) has a short history, but is already a real spring classic, famous for its hard course and good organization. This is why it is very popular among teams from Europe and also other continents and it came to no surprise that there were 176 cyclists from 23 countries on the start. Hardest part of the race were of course four climbs that spiced almost 184 kilometers long course. Race was decided in the sprint finish, in fact we can say that the race was quite calm till the last laps in Novo mesto. Colombian William David Muñoz Perez was the only one that made a significant breakaway – he came to Vahta with lead of a minute and a half, but that was not even close for victory today.
Last three laps on the city streets decided today’s winners. Filippo Fortin (Team Felbermayr Simplon Wels) was one of the favorites and did his job perfectly. After 2016 this is his second victory on this race. Second and third were Italian Nicola Venchiarutti (Cycling Teaam Friuli) and Czech Jirí Polnický (Elkov – Author).
Filippo Fortin, Team Felbermayr Simplon Wels: “The race was very nice. This was important race for me, I wanted to be stronger in the first part of the season and also take victories. I had already won here and it’s nice to do it again. Last meters of the race were really good and I’m happy with how they unfolded.
I always like it in Novo mesto. I’m regular guest on the podium, I already won in 2016. I was looking for a way to victory today and I found it.”
Filippo got a very special trophy for his victory – crystal urn, a replica of the symbol of Novo mesto.
Highest ranked Slovenian on the race was Adria Mobil’s Žiga Grošelj that took seventh. Žiga is not a typical sprinter, but he found his way in the crowd on the end of the race.
Žiga Grošelj, Adria Mobil Cycling: “We wanted a sleepy race, that was our tactic for today, but the Colombians attacked with full force on Brezovica and Vahta. Three of us in the team had a task to control the race and attack if necessary. We also had high hopes for Dušan Rajović, but he couldn’t keep the pace on the last climb. So we had to change our tactics all the time and adjust. I had a chance to get a good result and I believe that I had done the best I could. Fortin was a favorite and I tried to stay as close to him as possible. I’m not a sprinter and for me it was quite chaotic, but I managed to get a good result out of it.”
Reputation of the race had surly again grown with 4th edition and we can expect an even stronger competition next year. Race director Bogdan Fink: “Race was beautiful and interesting, very hard for all of the riders. New finish area in Novo mesto proved itself as a good one and we can expect even a bigger show on the upcoming Tour of Slovenia that will also host one stage in Novo mesto.”
Results: https://goo.gl/RrgiiT
Adria Mobil Cycling
Photo: Sportida
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