They had twice won in Vitoria. “GreenEDGE Wins in the Green City,” the headlines proclaimed. The pressure was on to make it three for three, and the Australian outfit did not disappoint.
Michael Matthews has taken ORICA-GreenEDGE's first win on European soil for the 2014 season, with a convincing bunch sprint victory at the Vuelta a La Rioja in Basque Country.
Nino Schurter of SCOTT-Odlo MTB Racing Team and partner Phil Buys gave it the perfect frame:In a stunning final at the world's greatest Mountain Biking happening, the World Champion and his South African companion escorted Matthys Beukes and Gert Heyns of SCOTT Factory Racing to their first win at the last stage of the ABSA Cape Epic.
Mathias Frank certainly proved his strength during the week. The IAM Cycling leader for stage races was already intent on testing himself over the two day, three stage Criterium International, while he enjoyed the support of a strong team dedicated to his cause.
On March 23rd, the adrenalized and much anticipated start to the spring Classics will kick off in Italy. On Sunday ORICA-GreenEDGE and IAM Cycling will line up in Milan to start the 298 kilometre journey to Sanremo.
The Promenade des Anglais - the famous French avenue - provided some glory for IAM Cycling's Stefan Denifl and Sébastien Reichenbach who finished overall in 7th and 11th, respectively, identifying themselves as stars of the future in the world of cycling.
Moved to tears after his victory at the end of the second stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, Matteo Pelucchi did not forget to honor the memory of the teammate with whom he shared his room at the Tour of Qatar early this past February.
While this year's Paris-Nice route may be one of the easiest in the history of the French stage race and made for opportunists, the route of Tirreno-Adriatico is more like a mini Giro d'Italia and will test the many Grand Tour contenders packing the start list.
