Mark Cavendish (OPQS) won the bunch sprint in Brescia that closed the 2013 Giro d'Italia, an unforgettable edition for the Movistar Team.
The telephone squad was undoubtedly one of the most triumphant in this year's Corsa Rosa, with four stage victories added to a day in the race lead, Beñat Intxausti's 8th place overall, the Super Team classification - points awarded to teams' riders in all stages – and a constant presence at the front all race long. In fact, Movistar is the only team in the world to have won stages in the last seven Grand Tours.
Quite understandably, Beñat Intxausti was more than please when evaluating the past three weeks in Italy: "We exceeded all expectations that we came with to the start, from the individual point of view as well as from the collective one. I had already stated before the race that my goal was notching up a stage victory. I don't know why, but I always gave it more consideration than a GC finish. Last year I took a second place, I also came close to a win in the Vuelta... I was really committed to winning a stage. I knew it would give me confidence, and I managed to make it. You always want to climb higher in the overall, but I'm satisfied with this eighth place, because the field was really strong this year, and all riders within the best ten were really close. After three weeks of racing, everyone gets the place he deserves. With all the sacrifices from my teammates, the only thing I could do was giving my best and honour them with a high placing. I'm disappointed with my time trials and I'll work to improve them. I was a bit anxious in the first one and couldn't distribute my energy well over the course, plus the sensations were not good in the second, though I did not lose so much time. But now it's time to enjoy my result - we're all super happy with it! We still have to look at the rest of my race schedule, but now it's time to rest and, after that, maybe getting ready for the Vuelta."
Fredy BUERGOS 38 years | today |
Pau MARTI SORIANO 20 years | today |
Carl-Frederik BÉVORT 21 years | today |
Kai Tsun LAM 40 years | today |
Marcel OMLOOP 75 years | today |
© CyclingQuotes.com