Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek-Segafredo) proved that he is fully ready to go for a maiden Giro d’Italia stage victory by taking his first win of the season in the first stage of the Tour of Croatia. Having been perfectly positioned by teammate Boy van Poppel in the very technical finale, he held off Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) and Timothy Dupont (Verandas Willems) in the bunch sprint to open his account and take the first leader’s jersey of the race.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Giacomo Nizzolo dedicates first season win to injured Felline

Giacomo Nizzolo sprinted to his first win of the season in the opening stage of the Tour of Croatia Tuesday, taking the victory ahead of Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) and Timothy Dupont (Verandas Willems).

 

The second edition of the Tour of Croatia kicked off with a flat and lengthy 235-kilometer stage, and a four-man breakaway posed little problem for the peloton as they timed the catch to the last remnant in the final kilometers.  

 

Boy Van Poppel led Nizzolo to the front with just under two kilometers to go, and the twisty final meters were tailored for Nizzolo, who excels at tricky endings. 

 

"It was very easy to lose position in the last kilometers, and I was a bit blocked, so I told Boy to bring me to the front and then I could take of myself. He made a big effort," explained Nizzolo. "All day there was a crosswind and the whole team did a great job. Gregy (Rast) pulled all day, Eugenio (Alafaci) protected me from the wind - all the guys were great.

"In the finale it was not possible for us to organize a lead out with the tricky circuit, so I just tried to find my own way. I knew that Cav(endish) was here with a good team for the sprint train, so I stayed around them. I just found a good position into the last corner and stayed cool to start [my sprint] at the right moment."

 

With his win, Nizzolo will wear the leader's jersey into stage two, which is also expected to end with a bunch finish before the race heads into the big hills.

 

"Gregy (Rast) was pulling all day, and then we really had to accelerate in the finale. We kept Julian (Arredondo) and Riccardo (Zoidl) a bit on the side for later in the week, but everyone else did his part," echoed director Dirk Demol.  

 

"There was a tricky corner with 350 meters to go, and I know Giaco very well. I told him with 2.5 kilometers to go that you really need to believe it because it is a perfect finish for you. I was trying to give him one last push to help him believe, but he was strong. When I saw the pictures of him crossing the finish line, he won quite easily. It was a really nice victory.

 

"It's another 240km stage tomorrow, a bit more difficult than today, but almost sure it will be again a sprint. We will see if we defend the jersey or not because we have to be honest that it will be difficult for us to go for the overall win. I am not going to kill the team by pulling for 240kms. We are happy with what we have and will see what tomorrow brings."

 

Twice finishing second and four times third, Giacomo Nizzolo has climbed onto the podium six times this season and finally rid the monkey off his back with a decisive win in Croatia's opening stage, a good omen ahead of his season's biggest goal in a few weeks. 

 

Always quick to heap praise on his team, Nizzolo also dedicated the victory to teammate Fabio Felline, who is sidelined with a lengthy recovery after a freak crash in the Amstel Gold Race, and director Adriano Baffi, who was unable to travel to Croatia due to illness.

 

Nizzolo said: "We are here to prepare for the Giro [d'Italia] and it is an important win for me and the team. I want to dedicate it to Fabio and also to Adriano Baffi who should be here with us but came down with a sudden illness."

 

Cavendish hopes to grab later opportunities after near-miss in Croatia

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka placed Jay Thomson at the head of the race for the majority of day, controlling the break with riders from Trek-Segafredo, Astana, IAM Cycling and Tinkoff.

 

The final then saw a number of riders taking a few risks to get to the front of the peloton and tje African Team had to fend off a number of pushes and shoves to keep Mark Cavendish positioned up front for the sprint.

 

Coming into the final kilometer, Mark Renshaw dropped Cavendish off on the wheel of Nizzolo as the race charged toward the finishing banner. Two 90-degree bends and a narrow cobbled street made it a technical finish and the Manxman was never really able to get out of the saddle to come around Nizzolo before the line. It would be 2nd place for the African Team at the end of the stage.

 

Sports director Alex Sans Vega said:
 

“It was a long flat stage with a headwind for most of the day. 4 riders got into the break of the day from kilometre 0 and so all the World Tour teams put 1 rider forward each to control gap. Later, only 1 rider remained but he was caught too. It was difficult to see what exactly happened in the final but it was quite a technical finish so we will debrief now after the stage. Today was a good opportunity for us, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. We will have more chances this week and we want to make the most of our opportunities here in Croatia.”

 

ONE Pro Cycling continue momentum with good sprint in Croatia

Once the decision was made to close down the break, five teams, including ONE Pro Cycling sent a rider to the front of the peloton to help whittle down the time gap. ‘The Machine’ Marcin Bialoblocki did the honours while the rest of the team grouped together, riding as a unit to shelter each other from the strong cross headwind whipping against the bunch. One lone rider jumped off the four man break with 18km to go in a courageous attempt to claim a solo victory, just as the peloton swallowed up the three remaining chasers left behind. Struggling against a strong head wind the leader was caught with 5km remaining as riders approached the final local lap. Tinkoff controlled the pace, drilling the peloton with 3km to go while Chris Opie positioned himself ready to take on the sprint.

 

The race was decided on the last two technical corners as riders swooped round a hard left before turning back on themselves allowing the finish line to come into view. The sprint kicked off with 1km to go, as Nizzolo Giacomo (Trek) took the victory and Chris Opie narrowly missed out on a podium position crossing the line in 4th.

 

Baska confirms sprinting potential with fifth place in Croatia

Tinkoff’s Erik Baška started the Tour of Croatia in fine fashion, taking a top five in the opening bunch sprint. After the team worked hard controlling the pace throughout the stage, and working well to get the Slovakian rider into position, Baška crossed the line in fifth position, fighting against some of the world’s best sprinters.

 

A pan-flat stage opened the second edition of the Tour of Croatia, with a route that covered 235.1km on the way from Osijek in the east of the country to Varaždin in the north, near the Slovenian border. While the first stage saw some breakaways form, with such a flat route, riders knew the stage was likely to end in a bunch sprint.

 

Intended by the race’s organisers as an introduction to the country and the Croatian landscape, skirting the Hungarian border as the race travelled west, teams were keen to make sure the day’s breakaway did not get too far up the road. Tinkoff were instrumental in ensuring the race break was kept in check.

 

From the finish, Sport Director Ivan Basso gave some insight into the team’s strategy. "When the break went away we had Sergio Paulinho and Juraj Sagan work on the front with the other teams to keep the gap under control and they did a strong ride. It was especially nice to see Sergio back riding well after his injury.”

 

As the race arrived in Varaždin, Tinkoff was organised at the front of the group, pushing the pace and taking control to get Baška into position for the sprint. Basso was pleased with how the team pulled together.

 

“All the other guys worked for Erik and the sprint. In a final like this it's always difficult to get into the best position as it was technical very fast but they did a good job and got him into a perfect position. From there he did a good sprint and was up in the mix.”

 

Tomorrow, the terrain is a little more challenging, taking in some of the first climbs of the race in a 240km route that travels down the southern leg of the country. While the undulating parcours will sap energy, the flat finish offers the potential for another sprint. Basso will be ensuring the team is ready for the finish.

 

“Tomorrow is a bit harder than today's profile but in the final it can again be a bunch finish, so we will focus on our two sprinters and go for the best result."

 

After a strong finish on stage one, Basso has high hopes for the team in the coming days’ racing.

 

"The stage was a good start to the race for us here in Croatia, and the guys did a good job in the final to get Erik up there for the sprint finish after working hard all day. I'm happy to see the spirit the guys showed today and for the coming days this will be give us confidence to keep pushing for a result and to keep fighting.”

 

Polish sprinter in the top 10 in Croatian opener

VERVA Activejet’s Paweł Franczak sprinted to 8th place.

 

“It was quite a nervous finale, so many riders looked for a spot! The streets were narrow and we had to watch every turn. The team led me out very well but I didn’t manage to finish it off. There is another chance tomorrow and I will do my best to get higher than 8th,” Franczak commented.

 

Kazakh rider back in action in Croatia

“It was my second serious start after seven months without races. Today was a quiet stage, where the group was activated only before the finish. I worked on the frontto catch the breakaway and in the final the guys tried to help Guardini to take the best position before the sprint finish," told Maxat Ayazbayev in the team bus after the finish.

 

The Kazakh rider spent around seven months without competitions due to problems with his back and a serious crash during the first training camp in Calpe in December.

 

"After this long stage and my work today I feel quiet good. I think, I recovered well, my legs are good and conditions are increasing. I hope to deliver good results during the entire season," he added.

 

Novo Nordisk Frenchman back in action after long break

Team Novo Nordisk’s Andrea Peron set the stage for the six-day Tour of Croatia when he took 15th place against some of the best sprinters in the world on Tuesday’s opener. 

 

“The Tour of Croatia is my first stage race back since my crash at Dubai Tour,” Team Novo Nordisk’s Nicolas Lefrançois said. “I would say today went okay. It wasn’t amazing, but it also wasn’t bad. For me, the real focus is getting some race speed in my legs and feeling comfortable again.”  

 

Simone Ponzi breaks collarbone in Croatian opener

It was not a lucky opening of Tour of Croatia for the Sprandi Polkowice. On the first stage, the team’s main sprinter Simone Ponzi crashed and had to abandon. In his absence, Maciej Paterski was the squad’s top finisher. 

 

With around 80km to go a crash occurred in the bunch, in which Simone Ponzi was involved. He hit the ground hard and hurt his left collarbone. He was taken to the hospital for an X-ray and some extra tests. It was later confirmed that he broke his collarbone. His injury is very unfortunate for the orange squad since he is one of the fastest men in the field and there are a few flat stages on the program which are expected to end with a bunch sprint.

 

Maciej Paterski was the first rider in orange to cross the line, in 16th place.