First time at the Tour of Hainan for Team Polti VisitMalta

While six riders from Team Polti VisitMalta were tackling the Gran Premio Indurain yesterday, another six teammates were landing on the large island of Hainan (in southeastern China, not far from the Vietnamese coast) to compete in the Tour of Hainan starting tomorrow. This five-stage race is being held in the spring for the first time instead of at the end of the season, and it also marks the first participation of the squad led by Ivan Basso and the Contador brothers. Four stages — the first two and the last two — are expected to suit the sprinters. Only the central one on Wednesday will offer a real springboard for those aiming at the general classification: over 200 kilometers of racing, featuring the 7 km climb at 6% on the Atuoling, roughly 50 km from the finish.

In a startlist that includes just one WorldTeam — Astana — Polti VisitMalta will be speaking Spanish with the solid Fran Muñoz, Pablo García, Diego Sevilla, sprinter Manuel Peñalver and Colombian climber Germán Gómez. The only Italian in the lineup will be Andrea Pietrobon: “We’re here to win stages with Peñalver, who’s in great shape,” said the 26-year-old from the Cadore, “and to keep a close eye on the GC, making sure we don’t get caught out and taking the right moves”. Also Italian (from Piedmont) is the sports director Giovanni Ellena, who explains: “Alongside doing our best in the sprints, we’ll focus on the GC with Pietrobon and Gómez. But this is a race where anything can happen — our guys will need to adapt and react to every situation.”

Stage 1: Qionghai loop (90,3 km)

Stage 2: Qionghai – Lingshui (178,1 km)

Stage 3: Lingshui – Baoting (212,6 km)

Stage 4: Baoting – Dongfang (190,8 km)

Stage 5: Dongfang – Sanya (181,7 km)