Fifth at the Strade Bianche

Roman came fifth in the 8^th edition of a one-day race Strade Bianche in Italy. The Polish rider Kwiatkowski celebrated the victory ahead of Peter Sagan.

“I´m happy. It was another race after two weeks and I felt better than I did in Oman. The team worked perfectly today, we were riding at the front in all important sections. We also tested out the tires that our riders will use at the Paris-Roubaix and they proved to be the right choice. Other teams had relatively many punctures but we came out quite well.”

The crucial moment occurred when Sagan and Kwiatkowski jumped away from the reduced leading group. Then Roman followed them along with Valverde, Cancellara and Cunego. “We allowed them too much of advantage and then it was impossible to bridge the gap, but I must say that Kwiatkowski and Sagan showed a strong ride today and I can only congratulate them. Our small group agreed on taking turns just before the final climb and then we would have fair and square battle for the third spot. Valverde was the strongest and he opened up a gap. At the finale I shifted down to a way low gear, so Cunego managed to get ahead of me on the finish line. He probably knew the final part better than me but, even so, this race and the result did boost my self-confidence,” admitted Roman.

He is now staying with his team in Siena. “Tomorrow we are traveling to the hotel where we will be staying for the start of the Tirreno. For Monday and Tuesday a short training camp is scheduled. We will be practicing team time trial,” added Roman.