Cycling Pro Road & Mtb

Cardoso 3rd at Trofeo Cala Millor

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Parent Category: Cycling Pro Road & Mtb

Category: News 2010

Published on Monday, 08 February 2010 18:07

Written by Marcella Crisanti

The Footon-Servetto-Fuji team fought another time against the very best teams in elite cycling today, as the Trofeo Cala Millor, the second stop of the 19th Challenge Ciclista a Mallorca, was raced over 172 flat kilometers in the Eastern side of the Balearic island. The big sprinter from the team directed by Joxean Fernández Matxin, Portuguese champion Manuel Cardoso, finished in 3rd place for today's finishing rush, just behind two from the top riders in such finishes: triple World road champion Óscar Freire (Rabobank) and 2010 Santos Tour Down Under overall winner, German André Greipel (HTC). The riders from Paços de Ferreira knew how to respond to the magnificent work done by all his teammates, the Gold Generation always pushing up-front in the peloton to bring down the 5-rider break -Mas (Burgos), Deroo (Skil), Van Zandbeek (Van Vliet), Ortega (Andalucía) and Blázquez (Orbea)- that marked the race's tempo.

Footon-Servetto-Fuji takes this way its fifth podium place in the season up to date, just after the victories by Cardoso (Tour Down Under) and Valls (Tour de San Luis), as well as the 2nd place by the Spaniard in one of the Argentinian stages and his 3rd spot overall. Tuesday will get the peloton into the hardest stage in the Balearic Challenge, with the Trofeo Inca presenting a mountainous 157-km route across the ascents to Sóller (2nd. Cat.) and island-highest Puigmajor (1st. Cat.), chanding the Gold squad's plans with a climbing lineup formed up by Capecchi, Cheula, Felline, Gianetti, Mayoz, Merino, Pedersen, Pérez Arrieta, Valls and Vitoria. Italian Ermanno Capelli, initially planned to make his début on Majorcan soil tomorrow, will not start due to a gastroenteritis.

QUOTES:

Manuel Cardoso: "I went into the front again, I did my way against a very big rider like Freire, and even though my legs weren't giving any more power, I'm happy with myself and the team, which worked a lot during the entire stage and was always up-front, taking relays with the big sprinters' squads. They were there even at the finish, a very technical one, with lots of turns and top speed, helping me to find a great position in the ending sprint. Rabobank launched the finish with five riders, I felt I was losing the winning position and tried it with 300 meters to go to overtake some leadout riders, but Freire finished it very well and gained half a wheel on me at the line. This podium is another boost for my confidence and will allow me keep working calm; we'll see if I can put up with the cols in the last stage and contest the sprint, which I'm still not very sure."