As usual, Lampre-Merida were on the offensive in the Vuelta a Espana when Nelson Oliveira and Ruben Plaza joined the early break. The former delivered an impressive performance by taking 11th in the extremely tough stage.
"We were aware that the stage would have been very, very demanding, but our riders were not scared and Oliveira and Plaza succeeded in being protagonists," sports director Orlando Maini commented. It was of importance to be competitive just after the start, because there was a climb to cover after a few kilometers: Nelson and Rubén were ready and their legs gave them the opportunity to be in the breakaway.
"Plaza had no luck, because he was dropped from the front group because he needed technical assistance, while Oliveira succeeded in riding in the breakaway and he even tried to anticipate the opponents on the last climb".
Martin GABER 35 years | today |
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James JUDD 30 years | today |
Fien VAN EYNDE 26 years | today |
Michael SINGER 36 years | today |
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