CYCLING – TEAM Bahrain Victorious rider Alessandro Borgo claimed an impressive third place yesterday on his debut at the Bretagne Classic-CIC, the one-day French UCI World Tour event.
The 21-year-old Italian crossed the finish line just a few seconds behind Alex Aranburu of Cofidis and Alexander Kamp of Uno-X Mobility, who had been part of a leading group that formed with five kilometres to go. Borgo once again demonstrated his potential in the classics, securing his UCI World Tour podium in Brittany.
Bahrain Victorious showcased strong teamwork throughout the 228-kilometre race. As the action became increasingly hectic approaching the final circuits, Robert Stannard joined a chasing group, while Edoardo Zambanini and Matej Mohoric led the peloton in pursuit of the attackers at a crucial moment.
Their efforts helped put protected leader Borgo in position to make his move and fight for the podium.
“I’m super happy with this result,” said Borgo post-race. “We had a strong team and were open to different options, with me as the leader for the finale, so I was mentally ready to fight for the result.
“After last week’s Renewi Tour, I believed I could get a good result. The team’s goal was a top 10, but I wanted more.
“With five km to go, on the final climb, I followed the best riders. When we were reduced to around 15, I realised that winning could be possible. I felt good and knew I was one of the fastest riders in the group.
“With two km to go, Aranburu attacked, but nobody wanted to close the gap. We were looking at each other. Then Kamp attacked as well, and again nobody chased. With 600 metres to go, I launched my sprint and my rivals couldn’t catch me, so I could enjoy third place.
“It’s a very valuable result and confirms that I’m feeling good at this point of the season. The team gave me the opportunity to be the leader for the fourth time this year, and every time, I’ve finished in the top five.
“I’m very happy about that too, and now I’m looking forward to the next goals.”
Bahrain Victorious’ head sports director Gorazd Stangelj was pleased with the team’s performance. “We missed a few moves during the race, which meant we were often a little late to react; fortunately, everything came back together towards the end, and Borgo was in the right move at exactly the right moment,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the leading group did not work together particularly well and the pace dropped, allowing attacks to come from within the group. Alessandro was arguably the strongest rider in the break, but third place was ultimately the best result he could achieve. We are nevertheless very happy with the podium.
“Overall, it was a great result for the team. I am very pleased with the outcome, although we did spend much of the race playing catch-up. We were a little too late on several occasions, found ourselves having to react, and perhaps took a few too many risks. That said, to come away with third place is a very positive result.”
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