It was victory for Eduard Prades of the Caja Rural-Seguros RGA team at the Coppa Sabatini. Prades was the fastest out of the about thirty riders that remained at the head of the peloton. This is the second triumph this year for Prades, following his stage victory at the Volta Portugal, and the team’s 17th victory so far in 2015.

Eugenio Goikoetxea, team manager, had this to say about the triumph: “the peloton had reduced in size by the end, so with an uphill we were able to finish the job. These are very prestigious races, featuring all the most famous riders from around the world in their lists of winners, and for the Caja Rural-Seguros RGA team to be represented there by Prades is a source of pride for us. Even though there are still two races left this season, this is a crowning glory for us. We gave Prades and Gonçalves tranquillity throughout the entire race so they could make it to the end as protected as possible and with options to win. The team helped to place them well and they were able to finish the job upon arrival”.

Eduard Prades, the day’s winner, recounted the end of the race: “We arrived in a large group, I was solely concentrating on making it to the front so I would have options to win. Jose Gonçalves and I were close together, trying to look for an opportunity. Jose attacked from the bottom of the climb with a very tough attack that determined the peloton. 300 metres from the finish line, I saw that I could break away and that someone from Lampre was taking off, it was getting really tough, but I was able to break away quickly and create enough of a distance to win”.

Regarding his victory, Prades was “very happy, these are important races with great prestige, a huge public and a high impact. It is a great way to finish, for myself and for the team, this victory makes 17 and we still have two opportunities left, let’s see if the joy of winning now can help us have opportunities in those races. This is a great end to my first year in the Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, the beginning was tough with my foot infection, but the end is a beautiful one, I’m taking two victories home, 17 for the team, and that says a lot about the squad that we’ve been able to put together”.