Our team became the first in 11 years to achieve this performance at the “Race of the Two Seas”.
The seventh World Tour stop of the season, Tirreno-Adriatico saw Deceuninck – Quick-Step come out of it with a staggering hat-trick of victories, netted by Julian Alaphilippe (in Pomarance and Jesi) and Elia Viviani, whose perfect sprint in Foligno helped him become the first Italian Champion in a decade and a half to taste success at the prestigious competition which this year ran its 54th edition, from Lido di Camaiore to San Benedetto del Tronto.
Alaphilippe, who thanks to his brace of wins became the most successful rider of the season, snuck into the top 10 overall thanks to his impressive and consistent riding throughout the week, finishing sixth and moving onto the podium of the UCI Individual Classification.
“For us it was a beautiful week and we couldn’t be more satisfied. The two stage wins I got and my top 10 after the one in Tour Colombia means that I continue this exceptional start to the season, with victories in all the races I have started, which bodes well for Saturday’s Milano-Sanremo. But more importantly, I would say, is how we rode as a team every single time, showing that unique Wolfpack spirit that has carried us to so many victories this season”, said Julian, who’s responsible for a third of the 18 wins captured by the squad so far in 2019.
Alaphilippe wasn’t the only rider to enhance his confidence and palmares at Tirreno-Adriatico; one of the most in-forms sprinters in the peloton, Elia Viviani claimed his fourth victory at World Tour level this season and confirmed he is on track for one of his biggest goals of the year, Milano-Sanremo.
“I came here for a stage victory, so it’s mission accomplished. I don’t know if I’ll have again the chance to wear the Italian Champion’s jersey, so I’m trying to savour every single moment with it on my shoulders, that’s why my victory here is so special. We had a great week in Tirreno, displayed a superb team effort and demonstrated again our knack to thrive under pressure, and at the end of the day, this is the best way to go into Milano-Sanremo.”
After Tirreno-Adriatico, Deceuninck – Quick-Step have cemented its place at the top of the UCI World Ranking, making it for the 52nd consecutive week that our squad leads the classification.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele/ Getty Images
