September 30th, 2021
Alejandro, supported by stellar Movistar Team, gets back to winning ways in Caronia -then suffers late scare, with no major consequences, as he crashes post finish- to give Blues their 38th success in 2021
There are very few dates more symbolic to Spanish cycling than September 30th. And today, three years after an unforgettable success in Innsbruck, Alejandro Valverde offered the Movistar Team yet another win on stage three of the Giro di Sicilia. Just a month after his crash and injuries in La Vuelta, the marvel from Murcia raised his arm victorious again in Caronia, after splendid work from the Blues, to notch up his third success of the year and the 130th of his illustrious career.
Abner González took himself to the front of the bunch about 60km from the end, to make his mark in the field -only 30 riders able to follow after his big push- and neutralized the day’s break, after which the Movistar Team was even able to contest the bonus sprint prior to the finish. Rojas and Soler made sure ‘Bala’ could take 3″, which showed his great form, while Pedrero completed an excellent approach, keeping the peloton always at a good speed, to avoid any attacks before the last climb. Einer Rubio y Davide Villella took the last turns to leave Alejandro in good position before his irresistible sprint.
A crash right after the finish, as he went over some cables, was a late scare for Valverde, who will now try to have some good rest and, hopefully, defend his new jersey on Friday’s showdown. He’s now holding a seven-second advantage over Covi (UAD) before tomorrow’s decisive climb of Sciarra di Scorciavacca (9.5km at 6.5%) and its descent towards Mascali.
REACTION / Alejandro Valverde:
“So happy to have achieved this victory! We came here today with an aim at claiming the victory, and we succeeded – even if the end of the day was a bit unexpected. It was unfortunate to lost control of the bike over those cables, but I think it won’t be too serious. Let’s see how we sleep and how we tackle tomorrow’s stage.Above all, I want to thank all of my team-mates, because it was due to their effort that I could take this. It’s a victory that brings me so much peace of mind, knowing now that I’m doing OK. I’ve been able to train well these past few weeks, I recovered fast and I showed again today I’m fine. My goal, both here in Sicilia and in the next few days, is to gain some racing form to be up there for Il Lombardia. I know it will be hard, but the good thing is we’ve got an extra win to celebrate now!”
