Antonio Tiberi on course for GC podium at Giro d’Italia

After nine stages of this year’s Giro d’Italia Antonio Tiberi as the captain of Team BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS has moved into 3rd place on GC. The best stage result thus far has been a 2nd place courtesy of Edoardo Zambanini. Thus the team is on course as the first Grand Tour of the season enjoys its second rest day.

As the first Grand Tour of the season, the Giro d'Italia saw its 108th edition start with three stages in Albania. These three stages in the small Balkans state did not serve up any opportunities for pure sprinters. Having already won the White jersey as the best young rider last year and finished the race in 5th overall, Antonio Tiberi returned to the race as the team's GC leader. He is targeting a repeat of his top5 result with an option on aiming at a podium result despite some serious competition. With Damiano Caruso, Pello Bilbao and Andrea Pasqualon Team BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS has added some serious experience to its selection in Tiberi's support. The rest of the line-up is made up of younger riders with the likes of Edoardo Zambanini, Afonso Eulalio, Fran Miholjevic and Matevz Govekar who is a decent sprinter in his own right.

As for the start in Albania the main target was to avoid any crashes or time losses. Team BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS managed to achieve just that, despite the fact that Tiberi was slightly underperforming in the individual time trial held on day 2. Edoardo Zambanini on the other hand surprised many by scoring a 5th place in the sprint of a reduced bunch at the end of stage 3. Following a first rest day the race continued in Italy, and now the pure sprinters got their chances as well. After stage 4 had seen the first real bunch sprint of this year's race, stage 5 featured some climbs in its finale. Zambanini started his sprint from far behind, found space along the left-side barriers and managed to give triple stage winner Mads Pedersen a proper scare in the dash to the line. "Zamba" scored a 2nd place as his best result thus far at the Giro d'Italia.

Before the riders got to enjoy a second rest day two mountainous stages with longer climbs and a stage that mimicked the semi-classic "Strade Bianche" with its famous gravel roads were looming. Team BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS was riding more aggressively in the hilly stages, taking its share in the pace-setting of the peloton and supporting its GC captain Antonio Tiberi whenever needed. The latter rewarded the work of his team mates with a 6th place in stage 7 and he did not lose any time to other GC contenders in stage 8 either. On the gravel roads of Tuscany Tiberi would not show any signs of weakness. Much to the opposite he crossed the finish line in Siena in 6th place and moved up to 3rd on the overall standings of the Giro d'Italia. Unfortunately however the team lost a key domestique as Andrea Pasqualon was forced to abandon the race due to a shoulder injury sustained when crashing on one of the gravel sectors.

The Giro d'Italia continues on Tuesday with a mostly flat individual time trial over a distance of 28.6 kilometers, leading from Lucca to Pisa. But the fight for the podium positions in the overall standings will only heat up in what is an enormously difficult week 3. While Team BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS is fully on target at the Giro d'Italia things looked a lot different in the five-day Tour d'Hongrie. On the second day the team lost two key domestiques for its GC captain Torstein Traeen as Max van der Meulen and Rainer Kepplinger got injured in a big pile-up. As for the bunch sprints Phil Bauhaus could not finish higher than an 8th place before leaving the race in stage 4 due to an illness. And on the final day Torstein Traeen got dropped by the main bunch and slipped to 16th in the overall standings at the very last moment.

108TH GIRO D'ITALIA, STAGE 5: CEGLIE MESSAPICA - MATERA, 151KM
1. Mads Pedersen, DEN, in 3:27.31 hours
2. Edoardo Zambanini, ITA/TEAM BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS, st
3. Tom Pidcock, GBR, st

OVERALL STANDINGS AFTER 9 OF 21 STAGES:
1. Isaac del Toro, MEX, in 33:36.45 hours
2. Juan Ayuso, ESP, + 1.13
3. Antonio Tiberi, ITA/TEAM BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS, + 1.30

Photos: Sprint Cycling Agency