LA SPEZIA – The first stage of the Tour of Lunigiana offers a breathtaking head-to-head between Lorenzo Finn and Paul SeixasA two-man sprint on via Domenico Chiodo, in the centre of La Spezia, where the Frenchman comes out on top, narrowly beating the Italian champion (Opening photo: Duz Image / Michele Bertoloni). Above the heads of the riders, a bright blue sky shines, while in the background, the hills frame a postcard-perfect scene. Beyond those green slopes are the Cinque Terre, a testament to Liguria's symbiosis of sea and mountains.
A sprint launched from afar. First with a careful study between the two contenders, started one kilometer from the finishThen, after a slow approach, the sprint began, with Seixas taking the lead and finishing by raising his arms to the sky. Finn makes a gesture of annoyance and regrets, as the two disappear around the bend at the end of the straight.
One versus one
After arrival Paul Seixas He is surrounded by his teammates and the French team's masseur. On the contrary Lorenzo Finn is alone, the other athletes of the Liguria Representative team have yet to arrive and the impression is that the difference will not be made only by the legs of the two young talents, but also those of their teammates. The French national team took control of the situation and in just under 25 kilometers closed the gap on the breakaway and paved the way for their captain's attack.
«My teammates did a great job – he commented at the foot of the podium – I only completed what they builtI'm happy to have started with a victory and a performance like this, This makes me understand that I worked well in preparation for the Tour of LunigianaI'm in great shape. It's a challenging race with many strong riders, Finn proved it, but the others are not to be underestimated either. I don't think it's just a challenge between the two of us., we will have to be careful of the other teams who will now be combative".
Finn chases
On the contrary, Lorenzo Finn found himself having to chase his French rival at the foot of the last GPM of the day. Yesterday at the team presentation he had labelled him as one of the main favourites and so he proved to beThe only one to keep up with him was the Ligurian driver from Grenke Auto Eder, who is racing here in the colours of the Liguria team.
«I'm sorry I lost – he comments Finn while his legs rotate on the rollers to loosen his muscles – because I was there. The uphill leg was very good, so it gives us hope for the next few days.The two of us made the difference. He started the final climb with a few seconds of advantage, then on the descent I managed to close the gap. France attacked on the descent and three of them went away while I remained in the group behindOn the climb I did a time trial to maintain the gap. Tour of Lunigiana it's a race that can be won even downhill and the fact that I pushed well and closed on Seixas gives me hopeEvery second will make a difference and tomorrow we will still be here challenging each other."
Italy goes
The day's action was punctuated by four riders, worthy of an Italy that goes fast, runs and grows well. Stefano Viezzi, Andrea Bessega, Elia Andreaus and Michele Bicelli gained the advantage on a flat stretch at the end of the first GPM of the day. The stopwatch showed a maximum gap of 2 minutes and 38 seconds.
«The idea of anticipating – explains the cyclocross world champion Stefano Viezzi – it was already in the program because we knew that the others were stronger on this type of climb. 8 percent gradients don't help riders my size. (Viezzi is 190 centimeters tall and weighs 70 kilograms, ed.). We managed to gain a good lead, Personally, I believed it because 2 minutes and 38 seconds are a lot to recoverThen Finn and Seixas returned, and we can only congratulate them. We're left knowing we played well and will have our chances in the coming days.
"When Viezzi set off after about forty kilometers," Elia Andreaus explains, "I immediately joined him. Then Bicelli and Bessega also returned. What Finn and Seixas did is impressive, on another levelEven with that advantage, I knew they could catch us on the climb and overtake us. And so it was. Now I'm in the standings (he finished fourth in the stage, ed.) but it will be difficult to stay there. Perhaps it would be better to aim for some stages."
Outside Omrzel
The first kilometers of the Giro della Lunigiana have already yielded some important verdicts. The race of one of the favorites, Jakob Omrzel, lasts exactly 6 minutes, finishing in SarzanaA crash, which also involved Jacopo Sasso, ended the young Slovenian's dream of winning the Race of Future Champions. The two were promptly taken to the hospital, where they were recovered and conscious.
