Emotional Maestri, resilient Lonardi, double top-10 in stage 4 of the Tirreno-Adriatico
A leader by example, an athlete who guides the entire team every day with sportsmanship and moral stature. You don’t need to be a big name to be a great man. Sometimes, you just need to be Mirco Maestri.
The 33-year-old from Emilia region tried once again. He came close once again, giving his all until the very last meters, even when the main group shattered the fugitives’ dream and set up the expected finish. A sprint that was launched by him, as he refused to give up — and never will…
Stage 4 of the Tirreno-Adriatico was split in two: the first half tackled the central-Italian Apennines, while the second featured descents and flat roads in the province of L’Aquila. From the first climbs, Maestri attempted to break away. He succeeded once, but the move was caught on the descent. He tried again, and at km 50 — midway between the day’s two KOMs — he made it. As he and his four breakaway companions pushed ahead in unity, behind them the peloton battled strong crosswinds that dropped several riders, including sprinters like Milan, while forcing others into exhausting chases.
The finale, through the houses and rolling roads of Trasacco, saw the break shrink progressively to two: Maestri and Blume (Uno-X) who were caught by Ben Healy (EF) with three kilometers to go. Together, they kept the dream alive. But cycling can be cruel — their effort was swallowed up just 400 meters from the end. As Blume and Healy faded into the pack, Polti VisitMalta‘s captain gave one last push with what energy he had left. He crossed the line in 5th place while Kooij (Visma) took the win. And speaking of sprinters, Giovanni Lonardi finished 9th securing an emotionally and athletically significant double top-10 for the Italian ProTeam. Completing the picture, Davide Piganzoli finished safely in the bunch after battling through every echelon alongside Fran Muñoz. Piganzoli now sits 25th in the GC, 1’10” behind the maglia azzurra Ganna.
Mirco Maestri: “We kept a solid pace up front, which actually helped us avoid suffering from the cold that defined today’s race. I had the firm intention of going all the way, encouraging my fellow breakaway riders to do the same — never giving up until I had rivals right on my wheel. Actually, even when they arrived from behind I didn’t stop. Unfortunately I always seem to reach 99%, but I’m a fighter and I’ll keep pushing until I reach 100%!”
Sports Director Stefano Zanatta: “A really great stage, fought under tough weather conditions, where we managed to be protagonists just as promised. Our plan was to place a rider in the break while keeping the others to protect Piganzoli and Lonardi, and we executed it perfectly. Well done to Mirco for his long-range attack, well done to Piga and Fran for staying with the best, well done to Lona for chasing back and contesting the sprint, and well done to Bais, Tonelli and Pietrobon for their valuable support work. Coming so close to victory and securing a double top-10 in such a demanding Tirreno-Adriatico stage is a huge satisfaction. There’s just a hint of regret for a result that could have been even better, but we’ll turn that into extra motivation to keep going with this same strength and mindset.”
