Pietrobon in the breakaway also in the “queen stage” of Tirreno-Adriatico

Team Polti VisitMalta honors the queen stage of Tirreno-Adriatico in style, finishing at 1327 meters of altitude, by joining the day’s action and consolidating Davide Piganzoli’s position on the eve of the final Sunday.

A classic Marche-style route with no flat sections — after 10 km a leading group of eight riders (six from WorldTour squads) forms, including Andrea Pietrobon, once again in the breakaway after being the last rider caught on the Colfiorito climb on Wednesday. After gaining a maximum advantage of four and a half minutes, the attackers maintain a steady pace until they reach the final mountain. There, Polti VisitMalta’s pianist-passista is reeled in after spending 145 km at the front. Soon after, as all the fugitives are brought back, Ayuso (UAE) launches his winning move while Piganzoli stays with the chasers: the Valtellina talent finishes 18th and moves up to 17th overall.

Pietrobon: “With the pace, the elevation gain and the fatigue accumulated throughout the week, this was a tough stage! The initial plan was to stay together in the peloton for the finale, but seeing riders like Thomas, Stuyven, Cort, Vendrame and others moving, we decided to try and join them. I was feeling good and went for it, successfully. However, with so many GC contenders, the top teams had an interest in keeping the race controlled. Going all the way wasn’t possible, but we showed spirit and legs.”

Sports director Stefano Zanatta: “We managed to get into a high-quality breakaway with one of our top escape artists. Meanwhile his teammates did a great job protecting our GC rider, who held his own on a very fast ascent. Tomorrow, we want to finish strong with a sprint for Lonardi!”