Samuele Battistella wins u23 World Championships!
Team Dimension Data Continental rider, Samuele Battistella, has been crowned the u23 Road Race World Champion! The Italian took the victory in Yorkshire today, ahead of Stefan Bissegger (Switzerland) and Tom Pidcock (Great Britain).
The u23 world championship road race took place over a tough 173km course in the Yorkshire countryside, before the finish took place after two local laps around Harrogate.
The first decisive moment in the race came with around 60km to go, as the peloton split in the crosswinds. Battistella was always attentive near the front of the bunch and so he made this front split of 22 riders and drove the pace up to open the gap to the 30-odd chasers behind.
The front group arrived at the local laps in Harrogate with just a 25 second lead over the 2nd group and it was here, on the lumpy circuit, where Battistella forced the race winning move. The 20-year-old Italian attacked the front group with 17km to go, being joined by 5 others.
With 1 lap to go, the lead group was down to 4 riders, Battistella, Bissegger, Pidcock and Tobias Foss (Norway) while behind them 3 riders gave chase, including Dutch favourite, Nils Eekhoff. The leading quartet stuttered slightly at the last and the 3 chasers made the catch with 1km to go.
In a spectacular sprint, Eekhoff just edged Battistella over the line, but a jury decision later disqualified Eekhoff after it was determined, by using his GPS data and video evidence, that the Dutchman had returned to the peloton after an earlier crash with irregularly high speed.
In what was certainly a most unfortunate turn of events for young Eekhoff, which we can sympathize with, Battistella was crowned the u23 World Champion. A magnificent achievement for the Dimension Data Continental Team rider, who will graduate to our World Tour team next season, Team NTT.
"Wow, I can not believe I am world champion. I am really sorry for the Dutch rider, I was even happy with 2nd place but now, wow, I am world champion. This can take some time to sink in, maybe I will sleep with the jersey tonight. I prepared well for this race, I knew my form was good so this is just incredible. This win is for everyone who has supported me in my career, to my family, friends, the federation, all my teammates from over the years and my current team at Dimension Data, thank you all." - Samuele Battistella.
Team Dimension Data For Qhubeka
Founded in 2007, Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka became the first ever African cycling team to gain a WorldTour license, in 2016. The team has bases in South Africa, the Netherlands and Italy. It’s also known as Africa’s Team due to its focus on helping African talents to the world stage of cycling.
Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka races for something bigger than wins. Through our relationship with Qhubeka, a global charity operating in South Africa, we raise awareness for #BicyclesChangeLives.
Qhubeka gives people a helping hand up by providing them with bicycles through its learn-to-earn and work-to-earn programmes. That’s what the hand on our team race jersey stands for. It’s a reminder that every Qhubeka bicycle is a helping hand to a Qhubeka beneficiary.
By supporting #BicyclesChangeLives you can help children to access education and help support skills development and job creation in South Africa.
Learn more about the team at www.africasteam.com.
Qhubeka
Qhubeka is a charity that moves people forward with bicycles. People earn bicycles through our programmes, improving their access to schools, clinics and jobs.
A bicycle is a tool that helps people to travel faster and further, and to carry more. In the face of extreme and persistent poverty, bicycles can change lives by helping to address socioeconomic challenges at the most basic level – helping people to get where they need to go.
About NTT Ltd.
NTT Ltd. is a leading global technology services company bringing together 28 brands including NTT Communications, Dimension Data and NTT Security. We partner with organizations around the world to shape and achieve outcomes through intelligent technology solutions. For us, intelligent means data driven, connected, digital, and secure. As a global ICT provider, we employ more than 40,000 people in a diverse and dynamic workplace that spans 57 countries and regions, trading in 73 countries and regions and delivering services in over 200 countries and regions. Together we enable the connected future. Visit us at our new website hello.global.ntt
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