The first Grand Tour of the season is in the books.
Host of two editions of the World Championships, Verona welcomed the final stage of the Corsa Rosa for the sixth time in history, again with an individual time trial – a hard 17.4km test that featured on the course the Torricella Massimiliana climb, which as expected, was where the difference between the victory contenders was made.
Alongside teammate Mauri Vasenevant, Mauro Schmid had been one of the most offensive riders at this 105th edition, going in several breakaways and even coming close to a second stage victory at the race, after the one in 2021. The Swiss remained in the spotlight even Sunday afternoon, when he produced a strong and impressive time trial, which he finished in sixth place after holding the fastest provisional time at one point.
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl leave the race with a series of solid results, including Mark Cavendish’s opening weekend victory in Balatonfüred – where he became the oldest sprinter in 11 years to pick up a win at Il Giro – and three additional podiums, but equally important, our team left everything out there every single time, and so leaves the race with its head held high, as underlined by Davide Bramati.
“We had a good three weeks. We won a stage, we came close several other times, and all the riders gave their best every single day, be it in the break or at the head of the peloton. Cav’s victory in Hungary was a thing of beauty, a 53rd Grand Tour win for him that he and us will never forget, while Mauri and Mauro were prominent in the many breakaways, they showed their potential on the hard terrain of the Giro and learned a lot from this experience. We can be satisfied with the way we rode and fought every time”, explained Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl’s sports director.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
