This Wednesday, Niccolò Bonifazio secured his first victory for Intermarché-Circus-Wanty thanks to a perfect sprint in stage 2 of Giro di Sicilia, probably the first and only chance for the sprinters to compete for the win.
After yesterday’s explosive finish in Agrigento, where the three climbers of the World Team finished in the first group, a bunch sprint decided the outcome of the second stage in the streets of Vittoria, in the south of the island. Well-protected all day, Bonifazio ideally approached the last kilometer at the front of a peloton that was totally stretched out due to several roundabouts.
First to launch his effort with 250 meters to go, Bonifazio was unmatched and won with authority to claim the ninth success of the season for Jean-François Bourlart’s team. The Italian wins for the first time since last June in Route d’Occitanie, and for the first time in nine years on Italian soil.
« I'm very happy to win my first victory for Intermarché-Circus-Wanty. Personally, it's been almost 300 days since my last win, so I'm extra happy! I worked hard last winter to start this season in top shape. Until now, I had sacrificed a lot for the team. I received my chance on this Tour of Sicily, which I prepared meticulously with my trainer Christophe Prémont. I did several sprint training sessions and rode many kilometers behind scooter. I was determined to seize my chance, especially since we discovered during the analysis of the course that the last straight line was on the Via Bonifazio, which was probably a good omen.»
« Our sports director Dimitri Claeys knows perfectly well the qualities of our team in this race. He left nothing to chance and made sure that the team exploited all its potential to win. Our climbers and cyclo-cross specialists from Circus-ReUz-Technord protected me perfectly from the start. I used my experience in the final to choose my position. Everything went perfectly, I had very good legs and I wanted to avoid being boxed in. So I launched quite early. I'm looking forward to building on this momentum and seeing what my good condition can bring. Tomorrow we have another uphill sprint opportunity and the next day we will be putting all our efforts for Kobe Goossens, Louis Meintjes and Simone Petilli! »
