One year ago world points race champion Edwin Avila got his grand tour debut for Colombia at the Giro d'Italia and this year he is aiming for a return to the Italian race. He proved the team management that he is ready for the challenge when he finished seventh in a very high-calibre field of sprinter at yesterday's GP Denain.

After winning his second Point Race World title on track, there is now a new challenge for Team Colombia Edwin Avila on the road: winning a spot in Claudio Corti’s line-up for the Giro d’Italia for the second year in a row. To achieve that, he will need good displays and results to persuade the team’s technical staff, and yeaterday’s seventh place in France, at GP Denain-Porte du Hainaut, represents a good sign of the 24-year-old rider’s good shape and determination.

The classic and expected sprint finish in Denain after 197 km saw Frenchman Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) land the spoils in front of Matteo Pelucchi (IAM) and Francesco Chicchi (Neri Sottoli).

A six man break got clear after the start, but never really had a chance in a pan-flat race that ended in a mass sprint 10 times in the last 10 years. The final surviving escapees surrendered with 30 km to go, leaving the spotlight to the sprinters’ teams, leading the peloton at a frantic pace. Avila handled himself well in the battle for positions into the final 10 km, with strong support by Juan Esteban Arango, and ultimately came up with his best result of the season on the road so far.

After the race, Sports Director Valerio Tebaldi admitted the team had taken the start with high expectations:

“I honestly think a top-5 spot was within our reach today. Edwin is a talented athlete, and today he knew he had a point to prove: today’s sprint was not easy, and both Avila and Arango did quite a good job. They will have to continue on this path, in order to demonstrate they deserve the opportunity to race the Corsa Rosa.”

Tebaldi also drafted a balance of the trip to Fleche Brabançonne and GP Denain:

“We had two good races, and collected significant indications from several athletes – Romero, Avila and Arango in first place – while Duarte is looking pretty good too. The Giro del Trentino (April 22-25) will help him put more quality kilometers in his legs, and will be the ideal set up for the Giro d’Italia.”