Team Polti VisitMalta starts the Giro d’Italia with Tonelli in the break and Piganzoli in 10th

Team Polti VisitMalta kicks off the Giro d’Italia on the right foot: Alessandro Tonelli spends 115 kilometers in the breakaway with four other riders, even winning an intermediate sprint, while in the finale Davide Piganzoli stays with the best and rounds out the top-10 in the Albanian capital!

After 5 km of battling, five men escape, make it over the mid-stage climb in Gracen and are caught on the first of the two short climbs in Surrel. On this double rise and descent the main group is reduced to almost forty riders, with Piganzoli staying with the best alongside the Bais brothers. In the sprint won by Pedersen (Lidl) the talent from Valtellina confirms the good legs he had shown approaching the finish, crosses the line in 10th and sits 3rd in the maglia bianca classification: “Being the opening day, everyone is still fresh” he explains right after the race, “and it’s crucial to stay up front. I even tried to anticipate with 2500 meters to go but it wasn’t easy. In any case, I’m satisfied with this strong start. The Giro is tough, but we’ve shown that we’re here to do well!”

Here’s the comment from sports director Stefano Zanatta: “We started the corsa rosa with the spirit that defines us. Tonelli did great at the front, it’s a shame the breakaway wasn’t given much space. Meanwhile, in the peloton, the teammates did a perfect job supporting our young GC leader. Seeing Polti VisitMalta up there with the big names gives us great morale heading into tomorrow’s first time trial.”