Our rider put his time trial skills on display, taking a second medal in the discipline.
For the second consecutive year, Mattia Cattaneo finished on the podium at the ITT National Championships, which were held in San Giovanni Al Natisone, a small town in the province of Udine, not far from Trieste. A bronze medalist in 2021, the 31-year-old Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider went one place better now, finishing second Wednesday afternoon.
Cattaneo had a flying start, tapping out an impressive tempo which saw him set the fastest time at the split, a result that only one of the four riders leaving the ramp after him could improve, and only for a handful of seconds. A top 5 finisher earlier this month at the Critérium du Dauphiné’s sole stage against the clock, Mattia kept the speed high also on the second part of the 35.5km course – which included a small but sharp climb towards the end – concluding the race in an impressive 41:05 and taking the silver medal.
“I did my best today in what was a hard race. Second is a very good result, I am content with my condition and I take a lot of confidence from this runner-up place, just like I do after every time trial race where I am up there in the classification. We had a plan before the start and I followed it, giving everything out there. The week isn’t over yet, as on Sunday we have the road race, where I will try to help the team go for what at the end of the day we hope will be another good result”, Mattia said after the ITT.
Photo: ©Sirotti
