The rider of XDS Astana Team Diego Ulissi claimed victory at Giro dell’Apennino achieving his first win since joining the team. Another XDS Astana Team rider, Simone Velasco, finished third.
The Italian one-day race started in Novi Ligure and finished in Genova after 198.5 kilometers. Ulissi launched a solo attack with around 50 kilometers to go, managed to gain advantage and kept it to the finish line.
“We had a pretty young team today, with guys from XDS Astana Devo Team, some of them had just come back from the Giro Next Gen. Everyone did a great job, we controlled the early breakaway. Then, on the hardest climb, with around 50 kilometers to the finish, I attacked. It was quite tough with the head wind, but I managed to gain some advantage and take this win. Up next we have the Italian National Championships and I think we have a strong team there, so we will try to give it a proper battle”, – said Diego Ulissi.
“Today I didn’t have super legs because I really suffered from the heat, but we were still up there in front, and I tried to cover as many attacks as possible for Diego. All our guys did a great job in the first part of the race, up to the decisive moment. Then it was up to Diego and me when the race opened up, to do our part. Diego made a great move, he rode solo for about 50 kilometers, and I tried to neutralize all the counterattacks. In the end, I managed to win a bunch sprint and claimed third. So yes, for us it was indeed a good day”, – said Simone Velasco.
