The conclusion of the Tour Mediterraneen has not been very lucky for the Team Colombia riders, as many of them were affected by various mechanical problems what effectively prevented them from animating the action on the ultimate stage of the French race, which took the peloton from Bandon to the mountaintop finish on Mont Faron, covering the distance of 192.7 kilometers.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, “los escarabajos” ended up satisfied with the performance of Jarlinson Pantano, who successfully defended his KOM red jersey claimed after the second stage of Tour Mediterraneen. The Colombian king of mountains, however, had a rather mixed feelings following the ultimate stage of the event.

"I'm happy with the jersey of best climber . As the team, however, we are disappointed with how the action of this final stage has developed. We hoped for achieving a better result with Carlos Julian Quintero and Fabio Duarte in particular. Unfortunately, Carlos Julian suffered a puncture just before the final ascent. It was very difficult to race back to the front of the pack. This is cycling, you have to get used to such situations. Winning the mountain classification is very special for our team," Pantano told Biciciclismo.

"My big goal of the season is to do my best at the Giro d' Italia. I hope to be in very good condition in May. I really want to finish in the top 15 of the general classification. It's a real objective. Why not to target a stage victory as well? I already had a good start in the Tour of the Mediterranean. Now I have to continue by racing in more events towards the Giro."

Despite the mixed feelings left after the Team Colombia riders’ performance on the Tour Mediterraneen ultimate stage affected by a bad luck, the sports director of Colombian Pro Continental team praised Pantano for his achievement.

"Of course we expected to achieve more on this stage, there’s no use to deny it, but things developed differently this time. We are glad , however , to return home with this red jersey won by Pantano. The fought for it with huge determination, and therefore has deserved to bring it home. Hopefully this victory in the beginning of the season will be repeated later this year, " Oscar Pellicioli said