13.03.2014

Nielsen takes the stage and the yellow jersey

Nielsen takes the stage and the yellow jersey
Magnus Cort Nielsen of Denmark is winner of the first stage of the Istrian Spring Trophy. He was strongest on the final climb towards Labin, won with small gap and became the leader of the race. Adria Mobil’s riders Matej Mugerli and Radoslav Rogina were fourth and sixth, respectively.

Today’s stage was not very exciting. Some rider tried to escape, but they never went more than a minute away from the peloton. Adria Mobil and Austrian team Tirol were controlling the race. Real fight began in the valley of Raša, when the riders were fighting for the good positions ahead of the final climb. Big group made it almost all the way to the finish; the selection was done in the very last 500 meters, on the granite-paved road. Danish rider was strongest and is now leading the race with small gap, but that is not enough for the overall victory. Tomorrow the riders will have to cycle for 157 km, with another uphill finish, this time to the historic town Motovun.

Team manager Boštjan Mervar was not very pleased with how the stage developed: “I wanted to have one of our cyclists in the escaping group that went off right from the start. That didn’t happened, so we stayed in the front row of the peloton, we didn’t want to leave anything to coincidence. Tomorrow’s stage is also very hard and we are still in the contest for the overall victory.”

Matej Mugerli is 3rd overall with 10 seconds gap behind the leader; Radoslav Rogina is 7th with gap of 22 seconds.

Srečko Glivar
Photos: Goran Badovinac

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