Zoccarato’s first breakaway and a strong Piganzoli on the uphill finish at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana

We called him an “escape artist” when he signed with Team Polti VisitMalta, today he’s already racked up his first 120 kilometers in an escape with the new jersey. In the second stage (the first road stage) of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Samuele Zoccarato broke away from La Nucía alongside four other riders. Their lead stretched beyond four minutes on the early climbs from the coast into the hinterland, before the peloton reeled them in between the Coll de Rates and the Alto de Benimantell.

On the Alt de Partegat (4 km at 5%) which served as the summit finish, Davide Piganzoli remained in the main chasing group behind a trio of attackers. When Buitrago (Bahrain) launched his winning move in the last kilometer, the talented Polti VisitMalta rider dug deep, losing a few meters in the final surge, but he still managed to finish 12th and now sits 18th in the GC: he’s currently the best-placed rider among the ProTeam competitors. Tomorrow promises to be another day for the climbers.

Zoccarato: “When Zanatta told me last night that I should try to get into the breakaway, I felt really motivated. It’s my trademark and I want to prove that the team made the right choice in betting on me. We rode really hard in the break and, under normal conditions, my race would have truly begun on the Rates. Unfortunately I started struggling with stomach issues and had to slow down. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow morning.”

Sports Director Stefano Zanatta: “It wasn’t easy to get into the break today, Samuele did a great job and it’s a shame he wasn’t feeling well. Due to similar problems, Fernando Tercero wasn’t able to start today. Despite being one man down, the rest of the squad followed the plan and supported Piganzoli well. Luckily, Fran Muñoz came out unscathed from a crash shortly after the halfway point of the race. Given the overall level of competition here, we showed that we can hold our own.”