Druivenkoers – Overijse

Italian duo Andrea Peron and Umberto Poli battled on until the bitter end for Team Novo Nordisk at today’s Druivenkoers-Overijse in Belgium, the tough circuits whitling down the bunch until only a handful of riders were left.

Sport Director Gennady Mikhaylov:

“I have to say that Andrea and Umberto really impressed me today with the “grinta” that they showed in what was a very challenging race and when a good chunk of the peloton climbed off before the final circuit.”

“The race was hard from the beginning and the break went late, around 60 kilometers in and the pace never really relented. Umbe and Andrea showed their team spirit and helped each other come through and even after the race restarted after the enforced neutralization, the speed shot back up and those two made sure they stayed prominent in their group.”

Andrea Peron:

“People used to talk about ‘easier’ races, but there are no easier races anymore. Certainly not in Belgium and today was as hard as they come. There was one point where the bunch was chasing down an attack at 60kph and the speed just kept going up, not down.”

“There was a crash in the middle of what was left of the peloton with 15 kilometers to go and that’s what caused the split for myself and Umberto. We got caught in the second group and there was no bridging back across at that stage. We finished and that’s the main thing, because on circuits like these and those that are coming up on Saturday, it’s so hard to chase back on if you lose contact. So, we can be happy with that.”