Tanel Kangert (Astana) did exactly what he had to do in his attempt to win the Giro del Trentino overall as he made it two in a row by winning the 13-rider sprint that decided the final stage, picking up 10 crucial bonus seconds in the process. However, Mikel Landa (Sky) just managed to pass Patrick Konrad (Bora-Argon 18) to take third and so took the overall win with a 2-second advantage over the Estonian by scoring four seconds. Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) completed the podium.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Landa: To win when down in numbers gives me confidence for the Giro

Mikel Landa prevailed in a nail-biting finish to secure an impressive overall victory at the Giro del Trentino.

 

The Spaniard stayed remarkably calm under pressure on the final stage in Italy, timing his sprint perfectly to edge into third place, giving him the crucial bonus seconds he needed to clinch the general classification.

 

An attacking final day heaped the pressure onto Team Sky and Landa, who ended the race with a slender advantage of just two seconds - wrapping up his first stage race victory in the process.

 

Tanel Kangert (Astana) went into the deciding day just eight seconds off the lead, and the Estonian unleashed a fast finish to make it two victories on the trot - taking 10 bonus seconds in the process.

 

Undeterred, Landa battled to the head of an elite lead group and bagged the podium place he needed. Phil Deignan helped his team-mate with a remarkable shift late on, battling his way back to the front to chase down a number of dangerous attacks, in addition to setting a strong tempo.

 

After the finish Landa admitted he was aware of just how fine the margins were, but is happy to now carry winning momentum into next month's Giro d'Italia.

 

"With the bonus seconds at the finish, it was always going to be dangerous today," he confirmed. "When I saw Kangert with Jakob [Fuglsang] I thought they would have a good sprint, but fortunately I was able to take some bonus seconds of my own and keep the jersey. I'm really happy. The team did really good work to keep this jersey.

 

"It was a difficult day. The last climb was really hard and because of that I lost some team-mates. Fortunately Philip was able to give me some really good support in the final kilometres.

 

"I think overall my climb on stage two was key. I was able to make some time at the finish to take the lead and make a difference. We lost some time on day one in the team time trial, but we gained it all back the next day. It was a perfect Giro del Trentino for us.

 

"It'll be really nice for me to arrive at the Giro d'Italia having taken this victory and it will give me more confidence to fight for the maglia rosa. Now I will recover, train hard and then go to the Giro!

 

"I have finished with a victory, a lot of Melinda apples and lots of motivation. I had good training and I am motivated for the Giro d'Italia.  Astana? They are very strong on the climbs, but today we also did very well. For the Giro I promise only one thing: I will show myself.

 

“It was hard until the end, I even had to discover my sprinting skills to secure the decisive bonus. Today I had a teammate on my side at the end, but having managed to control and win the race even when down in numbers gives me huge confidence in the view of the Giro d’Italia.”

 

History and facts show that Giro del Trentino Melinda is the perfect preparation for the Giro d’Italia, and the balance of the challenge against Nibali leans now to his side. He added: “Rather than a stronger Nibali, I was expecting a more combative Nibali. But Vincenzo knows himself very well, he was coming out of a training camp, and I know he will be in great shape at the Giro.”

 

Early in the 161.km test Astana made things interesting by sending Vincenzo Nibali up the road. The Italian was just 2:45 off the fuchsia jersey and that demanded the attention of Team Sky, who rode hard to manage and then pull back the deficit.

 

With his team-mates pulling off one by one after working tirelessly, Landa was eventually isolated, but showed great presence of mind and awareness to manage his efforts and carve out a hard-fought victory, as well as the mountains jersey. That all ensured back to back success for Team Sky in Trentino, following on from Richie Porte's win in 2015.

 

Tanel Kangert doesn’t regret victory celebration after near-miss in Trentino

"It 's amazing,” said Tanel Kangert.” I didn’t win or a long time and then two victories in two days.

 

"Jakob Fuglsang and I went very close to winning the Giro del Trentino, but we go home with the certainty of having worked well and that we will present at the Giro d’Italia in great shape.

 

"It’s great thrill, winning for two consecutive days. I am not accustomed to that. We tried to win the Giro in by playing our cards a sprint finish, we went close but we still did a great race. But Landa has been very strong, especially in yesterday's stage. Personally I have had good signals for the Giro  but I think the whole team is growing well and is ready to face the challenge of the Giro. 

 

“I knew I was a decent sprinter, but I did not expect another win s also today I came back after being distanced on the climb, the strongest on the team was Fuglsang (third overall), but we could not make a difference.

 

"I am a bit 'surprised, I confess that I did not even know how I managed to win again. Yes, I invented myself as a sprinter, although years ago I was doing the sprints. But this was a special sprint with a few riders and after a hard stage. It was mainly about the legs.

 

And to those asking if he has second thoughts on a couple of seconds lost in celebration on yesterday’s finish, he replies honestly: “No regrets, I am happy with two wins, as the strongest man took it all.

 

”Should I not have been celebrating in Mezzolombardo? No, why? I do not regret anything. Yesterday I wanted to enjoy it because I am not accustomed to winning, even if I have lost those two seconds there. And the race was won by the strongest rider. I was dropped on all the climbs. With Astana, we have tried to drop Landa in every way. We had the opportunity to win the race even with Fuglsang, but Mikel always responded promptly to every attack. Well done, he deserved it. "

 

The Estonian rider has finished second in the overall standings just 2 seconds behind Mikel Landa of Spain, while Fuglsang was third at 14 seconds.

 

"We won three stages out of four, commented sport director Alexandr Shefer. “And we had a great test for the team. The approach to the Giro continues on schedule.”

 

Vincenzo Nibali: I know that my hard work will pay off

The last stage of the race was very spectacular and saw the long breakaway of Vincenzo Nibali. Nibali was caught 30 km from the finish line

 

"I returned from Teide last Saturday after having worked very hard with my teammates,” Nibali told tuttobiciweb.it. “I am serene and aware that the results will be come later. Perhaps Liege is still a bit too early, but also La Doyenne will serve to verify the work I have done. It requires patience. There is no reason to think too much. I have done a lot of work with Paul Slongo and I am sure it will pay off. It's like I have a speed limiter, but the form is there.

 

"We had to put pressure on Sky and Landa and try to isolate him. We succeeded and then we had to attack him. Eventually Mikel was very good and deservedly won this Giro del Trentino Melinda. At Astana, we have very little to complain about and go home with the victory in the team time trial and two beautiful stage wins with Kangert.

 

"Tanel was very good, because he won two beautiful stages and got a prestigious second place overall. Last night, though, he made a mistake because in the joy of winning a stage after three and a half years of drought, he lost a few precious seconds that he would have needed to win the Girl Trentino, but they are mistakes that you make.”
 

Michele Scarponi optimistic after solid comeback in Trentino

Michele Scarponi returned to racing after having injured his shoulder earlier this year.

 

"I recovered well, the shoulder gives me a little discomfort but every day things are getting better. The many crash this season? Luck, bad luck, but also common sense is forgotten because there is too much desire to be in front. In view of the Giro, however, I am very optimistic: I am part of one of the best teams in the world and we aim to get the victory,” Scarponi told Tuttobiciweb.
 

 

Southeast talent agonizingly close to big win in Trentino

Matteo Busato finished second.

 

"When you touch the victory, you always regret it. But I'm glad to fight with people who soon will fight for the final victory in the Giro. I knew the stage and I wanted to do well. Now I hope to recover from the efforts of these days and I'm ready to go for a stage win in the Giro."

 

Bora-Argon 18 youngsters in the top 10 in Trentino

Emanuel Buchmann and Patrick Konrad from BORA – ARGON 18 were in trouble and could not follow the first group of 6 riders on the climb. On the decent, both came back with a second group.

 

In the finale, Emanuel Buchmann started to pull hard on the front for his teammate Patrick Konrad who proved his sprinting abilities yesterday. Buchmann pulled back the leaders in the final kilometre and put Konrad in a perfect position. But the young Austrian had to pay for the hard racing the whole day. He finished 5th which still is a good result.

 

With this performance he also climbed one spot in the GC which he finished in 5th place. Buchmann remained in the top ten of the general classification in 8th place. With two riders in the top ten of the GC and one podium yesterday, BORA – ARGON 18 can be very satisfied with a strong performance in the Giro del Trentino.

 

“The race was really hard from the beginning, as I expected already yesterday. A big thank you to the team, again they did a great job to protect Emu (Buchmann) and me until the last climb. I struggled to stay with the best climbers, but I was not far off and could come back together with Emu on the decent. In the end the tactic was that Emu should try to keep the group together and I go for the sprint. He did a great job by pulling back the two riders in the last 2k, but my legs were too tired already from the hard race. I would have loved to pay back Emu’s effort with another podium, but I am very happy with my 5th place in the GC. It also gives me a lot of confidence to see that I am up there again,” said Patrick Konrad.

 

“The team did a great job again today. The race was really fast from the beginning because of the attack from Nibali. Our goal was to protect Emu (Buchmann) and Patrick (Konrad) and help them to save energy until the last climb. Both suffered but they were together and just a few seconds behind the first group on the top of the last climb. On the decent they closed the gap and afterwards Emu supported Patrick who did a strong sprint yesterday. It would have been great to finish on the podium again, but I am happy with the performance today and the whole week. Our goal was to win one stage and finish with one rider in the top ten of the GC. We just missed out the stage win but have now 2 guys in the top ten of the GC, therefore we can be really satisfied,” said Enrico Poitschke, sports director

 

Bardet and Peraud optimistic after solid showing in Trentino

Ag2r won the teams classification and had Romain Bardet and Domenico Pozzovivo in the top 10.

 

"After yesterday's stage, we had no choice: we had to try things, make the race and fight as there was nothing to lose in this Giro del Trentino,” sports director Didier Jannel said. “The last climb was located 35 km from the finish and it was impossible to get away alone. Hubert Dupont tried several times, we hoped that the favorites would let him go. It did not work. Romain Bardet also tried, as did Jean- Christophe Peraud. The latter was caught after the flamme rouge. 
 

“There was no victory but I think we did well. Our guys are in shape, it is very encouraging ahead of the next big races.”

 

"After the training camp in Sierra Nevada, it was important to make my comeback in a race like the Giro del Trentino which has a selective course,” Bardet said. “I was able to pick up the pace and confirm my good feelings in competition. I managed to get another top 10 in a stage race although I would have liked a better result. The GC was not a goal for this comeback race. We can be satisfied with the collective result.”

 

Jean-Christophe Péraud (9th) was the third man that secured the victory in the team classification for Ag2r. Active during the two mountain stages, the Frenchman said: "I leave the race relatively pleased with the four race days. The sensations were not so good today but we all fought to get a big result. Now I will go to Belgium where I'm going to start my second Liège-Bastogne-Liège (after 2010) in the role of team-mate. "

 

Sergio Pardilla back on top after horror crash in Pais Vasco

Caja Rural - Seguros RGA finished off this year’s Giro del Trentino on a good note asSergio Pardilla made top10 on the final stage of the race. The Spanish climber sprinted to ninth place in a select group of favorites. Tanel Kangert (Astana) won the stage. In the general classification, Pardilla finished 13th behind the overall winner Mikel Landa (Team Sky). After a horrible crash kept him out most of last year’s season, Pardilla has made a strong comeback to the peloton in 2016. In March, he finished ninth in GP Industria & Artigianato and earlier this month, he placed third in Klasika Primavera de Amorebieta. 
 
Pardilla said: “Step by step, I’m getting back to a decent level. Today, I would have liked to go for the stage win but the riders fighting for the overall win were very strong and to arrive at the finish with them was hard enough. Personally, I’m satisfied with my performance. It’s very encouraging to see that I can be up there fighting for the top results”.
 
Due to his strong performances earlier in the race, Antonio Molina made sure that Caja Rural - Seguros RGA finished the day on top of the podium as the 25 year old Spaniard was rewarded the red jersey for winning the intermediate sprints competition overall. In the team classification, Caja Rural - Seguros RGA took fifth place.
 
Sports director Josemi Fernández said: “The overall balance of the race is good. Molina won the intermediate sprints competition and the riders always showed a courageous attitude. However, it wasn’t the Giro del Trentino we had hoped for. We made too many mistakes in the opening team time trial. In the three regular road stages, we tried to be in front, going for the breakaways, but it didn’t work out as it always came down to a fight between the top favorites”.

 

Confidence boost for Stefano Pirazzi at Giro del Trentino

Bardiani-CSF finished the Giro del Trentino, the last race together with Tour of Croatia before the Giro d’Italia.

 

In the opening team time trial, the #GreenTeam delivered a positive performance placing 6th with the time of 14’04”, 34” from winner Astana. In the second stage, young guns Giulio Ciccone and Simone Andreetta stood  out with a great performance, placing 4th and 6th at 14” from stage winner Landa. Ciccone took the provisional leadership of the young riders ranking. 

 

Yesterday experienced rider Stefano Pirazzi gave the proof that his form is good with a few attacks in the last kilometers. He crossed the finish line in 17th, at 50” from winner Kangert. Ciccone finished 24th and moved into second place in the young riders ranking, passed by Bernal.

 

Today a tireless Pirazzi searched for the win with more and more intensity. Up to the last kilometer he tried to attack, but the small group didn’t let him go (13th at the finish; 12th in GC). For Ciccone, there was a precautionary stop before the start due to inflammation of his respiratory system.

 

"It was a very nice final,” Pirazzi told Tuttobiciweb. “I was a pity that Péraud did not give me a hand. But I'm ready to tackle the Giro and I got the answers I was looking for after working so much at altitude. Now I'm going to enjoy a brief period of recovery and then I will battle on the streets of the pink race.”

 

While the team management is looking forward to announcing the roster selected for Giro d’Italia, the #GreenTeam will be on the scene in Croatia for the last two stages. At the moment, the team stands out thanks to two long breakaways with Nicola Boem and Alessandro Tonelli as well as three top ten results by Nicola Ruffoni in bunch sprints.

 

Giro del Trentino organizers celebrate successful edition of their race

For the first time in its history, the Giro del Trentino Melinda ends without Italian wins: no stages (it had happened already in 2011, when Michele Scarponi won the GC), nor the overall. That also underlinines the growing international participation at the GS Alto Garda event, that again offered a highly spectacular and technical race.

 

“To enjoy the challenge among those champions in all the beauty of our land is our reward for our organizational efforts,” GS Alto Garda President Giacomo Santini commented. “This year, our Giro was broadcast live in over 50 Countries all over the World, and welcomed about100 international press representatives. Those are the figures of an event on a rising curve, that found a great winner in Mikel Landa.” If the pink of the orchards will bode well for him, we will find out soon.