Quick-Step Floors leaves the race with five wins and retains the top place in the World Tour team classification.
Quick-Step Floors enjoyed another victory-packed Grand Tour, the fifth consecutive in which our squad nabbed multiple stage wins, a fantastic run that took the team's season tally to an astounding 36 victories, 20 of these coming on the World Tour.
Three weeks ago, we arrived at the start in Jerusalem with a strong team – comprising Eros Capecchi, Rémi Cavagna, Michael Mørkøv, Fabio Sabatini, Maximilian Schachmann, Florian Sénéchal, Zdenek Stybar and Elia Viviani – keen on leaving an indelible mark over the the Corsa Rosa, which was turned out to be again a happy hunting ground for the Wolfpack, whose admirable teamwork and determination landed victories in Tel Aviv, Eilat, Nervesa della Battaglia, Iseo and Pratonevoso.
Four of these wins were signed by Elia Viviani, the most successful rider of the season so far in terms of victories, while the other one was notched up by 24-year-old Schachmann, the 30th different rider in the history of Quick-Step Floors to win a Grand Tour stage and the first German to wear the white jersey at the Corsa Rosa.
As for Viviani, his superb consistency was rewarded in Rome, in the shadow of the Coliseum, with the prized cyclamen jersey, which Elia wore for 19 consecutive days. Second in the Eternal City – the seventh top 3 finish of Quick-Step Floors at the first Grand Tour of the season – the Italian concluded more than 50 points clear of his nearest rival in the classification.
"Winning three stages and the ciclamino were my big goals before the start of the race, and arriving in Rome with four victories and the jersey makes for a perfect Giro d'Italia, one which wouldn't have been possible without my phenomenal teammates", Viviani said after the finish on the scenic Via dei Fori Imperiali.
"On the flat, they gave me a perfect lead-out, while in the tough mountain stages they stayed by my side and helped me arrive safely at the finish. The past three weeks have been unforgettable, an outstanding experience, and for this I have to thank to everyone, from my teammates and staff and to the amazing fans which cheered for us every single day!"
Patrick Levefere, Quick-Step Floors' CEO, was a delighted man after the big finale in Rome: "We couldn't have asked for more, as we enjoyed a magnificent string of successes while sticking to our aggressive approach and showing the same tenacity and brilliant team spirit which have earned us the respect of so many cycling fans. For this, we were rewarded handsomely. Taking five stage victories and the iconic maglia ciclamino it's a remarkable feat, one which gives us great pride and motivates us to keep working so we can remain at the top also in the second half of the season and enjoy many more beautiful moments."
After 22 of the calendar's 37 events, Quick-Step Floors has a firm grip on the World Tour team standings, having amassed an astonishing 7979 points with 23 different riders since the start of the year. Ahead of the next appointment – the Critérium du Dauphiné (3-10 June) – Quick-Step Floors is more than 2500 points clear of the second-placed squad.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele/ Getty Images
