Anything you can do, I can do

Different day same outcome for Team Novo Nordisk at the Volta a la Comunitàt Valenciana as Italian Filippo Ridolfo picked up the gauntlet thrown down yesterday by teammate Matyas Kopecky and went off in search of glory in the breakaway. 

A sort of glory was found in the shape of first over the top of the Alto de Alcublas and some GPM points, further emulating his friend and roommate Kopecky. 

After a difficult 2024 season beset by crashes, injury and a loss of form, Ridolfo has bounced back admirably and found his breakaway legs in style today. 

“Last season was hard, not only physically but also mentally,” said Ridolfo. “I had a really good 2023 and felt like I was starting to find my place in the peloton and then last year when I wasn’t injured I felt like I was going backwards. So getting out front today felt great!”

“There was a lot of attacks popping from the start and it took a while for the break to finally form, Antonio tried before me and his group came back and then the move I was in was given some space and we had a pretty good gap at one point.”

The stunning rolling terrain of the Valencia region lends itself well to this style of racing and today’s third stage including another uphill finish after a series of categorized climbs in the run in.

“I felt good on the flatter roads,” continued Ridolfo. “Then after I won the GPM on Alcublas I started to feel the fatigue on the climbs and it was at the start of El Remedio and when we were caught.”

“It wasn’t a surprise that the big teams wanted us reeled in on the only first category climb of the day and I’m happy with how the first race of the year is going for us – though it would have been nice to have scored more GPM points than Matyas!”