Jarlinson Pantano had made the Strade Bianche one of his big targets but bad luck ruined his race when he dropped his chain at the crucial moment. Yesterday he put the disappointment behind him to finish an excellent 7th in the Roma Maxima.

Cycling can sometimes be hard in spoiling your work and ambitions in a second for the tiniest of factors, and that’s why it is crucial for good riders to leave things behind and keep looking forward, no matter what. Team Colombia’s Jarlinson Pantano successfully did that after Strade Bianche’s disappointment, and a strong 7th place at Roma Maxima got a smile back on his face.

After starting a brave action on the Campi di Annibale climb with Domenico Pozzovivo (Ag2r), Alejandro Valverde(Movistar) remained just metres ahead of the bunch to clinch a well-deserved win, while Pozzovivo’s teammate Davide Appollonio won the sprint for second ahead of Sonny Colbrelli (Bardiani). Miguel Angel Rubiano was another first-group finisher for Team Colombia (19th), in spite of a crash that left some bruises on his right hand and knee.

The day’s 7-man breakaway formed just after the official start, but was confidently held under control by Movistar, clearly showing their serious intentions to go for the big goal. On the Rocca Priora climb, the pace reduced the bunch to no more than 70 riders, and finally spintered on the dreadful Campi di Annibale uphill, when Valverde made his move along with Pozzovivo and a 12-man group formed just behind them.

Valverde and Pozzovivo managed to open a good advantage on the chasers, who could not find an agreement, but when more riders came back to form a 40-man peloton, then they started gaining ground on the frontrunners, who really risked to be reeled in by the peloton’s late surge.

“We knew the peloton was going to break on the final climb and we were well positioned," Jarlinson Pantano said afterwards. "Honestly, I did not remember the climb so well, and even though I had good feelings I lost some metres to the first chasing group. Since a big group was coming from behind, I was confident we could come back in contention and use the remaining energy in the finale, and that’s what happened in the end.

“I was quite disappointed after yesterday’s race, I cared a lot about it and I was going very well, but that’s cycling sometimes. Today things went out as planned, and hopefully we can continue this good stretch in the upcoming races.”

Sports Director Oscar Pellicioli also looked satisfied with the team’s overall performance.

“We knew we were coming to these races with some rather inexperienced riders, but today the team did pretty well, and Pantano goes on showing his good qualities with more and more consistency. Shame for Miguel Rubiano, whose crash – even though it came at the halfway – definitely affected his performance today, but he still could finish in the top group.”

Next on for Team Colombia will be some days of training and recovery, while the Team’s next race will be the GP Nobili, in Italy, on March 20th.