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PELLO BILBAO TAKES 5TH PLACE IN STRADE BIANCHE
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| Bahrain Victorious took a solid top-five result in Strade Bianche, as Pello Bilbao crossed the finish line in the stunning Piazza del Campo in Siena in 5th place, after a chaotic and hard-fought race. |
| The 184km course that runs through the rolling hills of Tuscany, featuring 11 sectors of gravel roads, was made even more challenging due to strong wind. |
| It was the crosswind to cause a huge and dramatic crash on a sterrato with 98km to go involving several big riders, including the race favourite, the World Champion Alaphilippe and our riders Pello Bilbao and Matej MohoriÄ. Unfortunately, the Slovenian Champion suffered severe pain in his knee and was forced to abandon the race. |
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At that moment, the peloton was chasing the early 9-man breakaway, with a remaining quartet that could stay away until 52km to go.
A few minutes later, the decisive move of the race happened as Tadej Pogacar attacked to go solo until the finish, taking a solo win in Siena, ahead of Valverde (+37”) and Asgreen (46”).
Pello Bilbao managed to retrieve after a flat tyre right when Pogacar opened the attack. He closed the gap to the second chasing group coming to the finish in 5th place at 1’09”: “The first feeling, I must admit, I’m a bit disappointed as I had a super good feel and was believing in the podium. I also thought I could follow the attack of Tadej Pogacar. When he attacked, I was in a perfect position to try to go. But I had a flat tyre, and I had to ride for about 1km before Jan Tratnik gave me his bike. Then I changed it on the tarmac and gave everything to chase the group in front. It was a bit chaotic race, but in the end, we still could find a good collaboration also when it seemed the race was gone.
We had bad luck as a team, as we were involved in the big crash with the wind Matej and me too. But then all the team was compact. They believed in me. They helped me recover the positions to fight for the next gravel sector. I was near the podium, and I finished with a good feeling. Next time I will fight to be on the podium”.
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Gorazd Stangelj Team Bahrain Victorious Sports Director: “The wind was a significant factor in the race today. We had a lot of splits in the peloton due to the wind, and also, the race was affected by crashes. Unfortunately, Matej was involved. Our guys were in front because they were aware of the danger of that sector at open-air and crosswinds, but the crash happened anyway, and with the high speed, they couldn’t react so fast.
Pello suffered a puncture in a super difficult moment on the sector of Sante Marie. It was the worst moment to have a flat tyre. Happily, they reacted in a super good way. Jan was very strong today, he was close to Bilbao, and he was, fortunately, the only one who could give him a bike.
Pello’s result is probably the maximum we could reach today, considering what happened during the race. At 25km to go, he controlled the race and kept calm, saving energies for the last 5 km, where he did very well. He caught the second group of guys chasing Pogacar and was able to do a top five, so we’re happy with the result”. |
| (All pictures can be used for editorial and non-commercial usages only and are copyright @Sprintcycling @TeamBahrainVictorious) |
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