PELLO BILBAO DEDICATES STAGE 10 WIN TO GINO
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An emotional Pello Bilbao crossed the finish line in Issoire, claiming his first Tour de France victory, dedicated to his teammate Gino Mäder.
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After an extremely hard opening with several break attempts, the race began to settle as Bilbao eventually got in the right move with 11 riders at the intermediate sprint in Le Mont-Dore. With the race settling, the break gained a gap of around 3:30 from the peloton.
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With 55km to go, Neilands (IPT) upped the pace and gained a gap from the break of around 30 seconds which in turn quickened the pace, causing the chase group to reduce to just five riders, including Bilbao. In the scorching conditions, the group of five worked together to bridge the gap on the run into Issoire and caught Neilands with 3km to go.
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In the final, Zimmermann (ICW) launched an attack under the 1km mark, but Bilbao latched on to his wheel and was the fastest in a sprint to the line to take his first Tour de France stage win.
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| “It’s been an incredibly emotional build-up to this Tour de France with everything that has happened. It was hard to get ready for this race, but I wanted to come here and do something special for Gino, and today I’m here winning a stage of the Tour de France, and I’m happy to dedicate it to him and the team. |
In the race, I tried to block out all the emotions and try to make it to the finish, and it was an overwhelming feeling and sense of relief. I’m so happy I can dedicate this win to Gino.” Pello commented as he pointed to ‘#rideforGino’ on his jersey.
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| Pello continued: “With the Tour starting on home roads, I was obviously looking to try and do something there, but I felt maybe a bit less controlled and focused than usual. Today once the race had settled, I felt good and in my rhythm and just tried my best to hold on in the last few km. |
| Once we caught Neilands, who made an incredible effort, I knew I would be in a good place to contest in a sprint, and luckily I was able to do it. I usually suffer in hot weather, but I felt well-rested and recovered after yesterday. We have fantastic support with our staff providing us with drinks and ice at key points in a day like today. It was an important day for us to try and win, and you could see that we were in every move. I was the lucky one that got into the right move. |
| A big thank you to my teammates and staff for helping me take this win and dedicate it to my dear friend Gino.” |
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| © Photo Sprintcycling © TeamBahrainVictorious) |
