This Sunday 28th of May, Intermarché-Circus-Wanty concluded its third Tour of Italy with a ninth place of Belgian sprinter Arne Marit in a bunch sprint in the streets of Rome.
By reaching the capital, Arne Marit concluded his first Grand Tour of his career with the team of Jean-François Bourlart, just like his compatriots Laurens Huys and Laurenz Rex. For the fifth time in five participations, Italian rider Lorenzo Rota reached the finish line of his national tour.
In total, Intermarché-Circus-Wanty accumulated eleven top ten results in this 106th edition, with seven different riders. Among them, Simone Petilli climbed on the podium on top of Gran Sasso d’Italia.
24 year old climber Laurens Huys ended his first race of three weeks in 27th place in the final classification. As part of two breakaways fighting for the stage win, Huys took eight place in Bergamo.
Powerful Laurenz Rex, one of te revelations of this Giro, also showed himself on the attack twice during 200 kilometer. First in Tortona, when he was caught with 5 kilometer to go, and then in Cassano Magnano, where he took fourth place.
In addition to his ninth place in Rome, Arne Marit also finished fourth in his first Grand Tour sprint on day two towards San Salvo and tenth in Tortona.
Other fast weapon of the selection, Niccolò Bonifazio, collected four top ten finishes. First eighth behind Marit in San Salvo, tenth in a delicate finish in Salerno and also fourth in Caorle.
« Thanks to the help of my lead out Laurenz Rex, I started the downhill towards the finish in a good position. However, because of a movement from the left I was boxed in. That's how I lost the slipstream of Mark Cavendish. Just like in each sprint of my first Grand Tour it was very nervous, riders came from everywhere. A competitor made a sudden move and I fortunately managed to avoid touching him with my front wheel. Despite this, I managed to obtain my third top ten in my first Grand Tour. This is something I can be proud of. »
« Without my double crash in the fifth stage, I would have had an extra sprint chance. My chain problem in the seventeenth stage was a big disappointment, because on that day I really felt that the stage win was within reach. The main thing is that I will leave this Giro with a big bag of experience. I for example learned how highly contested the sprints in a Grand Tour are. Not only the sprint teams, but also the teams protecting the GC riders fight for the best positions in the final kilometres. » « I'm also proud that I survived all mountain stages. I explored my limits uphill. During the shortened stage towards Crans-Montana, I suffered so much that I thought my Giro would end there. But I managed to get through it and could luckily benefit from an easier day in the peloton the next day to recover. I'm happy that I reached Rome, with for the first time 21 days of racing in the legs, in one of the most difficult and prestigious races in the world. ».
« I experienced all emotions. Euphoria after my fourth place on day two, crashes, illness, disappointment. From the first to the last day, we battled to chase stage victories. The atmosphere in the team was great. Our three Grand Tour debutants finished the Giro, that's a nice achievement. » « I'm looking forward to enjoy some rest tomorrow. The next weeks I will combine sprint training and rest to maintain my condition until the national championships, because Gerben Thijssen and I have the ambition to show the colors of our team in several sprint races on Belgian soil. »
