Gioele Bertolini (KTM – Protek – Elettrosystem) takes the overall leader’s jersey
The first day of racing in Esanatoglia ended in a final sprint.
The winner was Cameron Orr (Wilier-Vittoria Factory Team Xco) with a best time of 1h 19’20” ahead of Simon Andreassen and Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing).
The winner, who has just returned from a wrist injury, commented immediately after crossing the line: “It was an impressive race, the pace was very high, it was very technical and I’m happy with how it went as I haven’t been back in the saddle for long.”
Second placed Andreassen said:
“It was really nice to race here. It was a super tactical race, I’d say, and I took a bit of responsibility to keep a good solid pace throughout the race, and in the end I paid a bit for being in the lead for the first six laps. But we were very close, so I am very happy with this second place. I am happy to be back on the podium. I think I’ve raced for the last five weeks in a row, now I’m going to take some time before the World Cup to refresh myself and be ready for Brazil.
It was a good day for Aldridge as well, with a podium finish:
“I’m very happy. You never know how your legs are going to be in the first races of the year. It was fun, there was a good crowd and the legs felt good. There are a lot of big races coming up this year and the season is long, I need to slow down a bit, maybe the Olympics are more likely, so …. there is a lot to do now”.
As predicted on the eve of the race, it was a battle of the favourites.
At the front of the 62 riders that lined up on the start line at 14:30 were Simon Andreassen and his teammate Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing), Filippo Fontana and Daniele Braidot for the Cs Carabinieri Cicli Olympia team, followed closely by Gioele Bertolini (KTM – Protek – Elettrosystem). While the lead group stayed together, the chasers closed the gap lap by lap, although a highly concentrated Danish champion managed to stay in the lead throughout the race.
The third and final race of the weekend, which took place on the Santoporo XCO track, was also a high tempo affair, with the Men’s Open category completing 7 laps of the 3.6km track, supported by a large and enthusiastic crowd.
U23
In the U23 category, Agostinacchio Filippo Beltrami (Tsa Tre Colli) won ahead of Siffredi Matteo (Scott Racing Team) and Bassignana Fabio (M Un 3 Ktm – Protek – Elettrosystem).
Thanks to this second place, Matteo Siffredi wore the leader’s jersey in the U23 classification.
