Hard Rock Merida, summit after the Italian International XCO The Italian International XCO Series eden at Vermiglio (Val di Sole – Italy), the team chief Marco Boccellari explains his point of view. The team Hard Rock Merida was racing only with Alessandro Naspi between the Juniores. This because His teammate Guglielmo Pighi is absent since more than one month ago, due to a health problem not easy to heal, that maybe will delay His return on the bike to the next season. The Juniores race started at 12:30, and Alessandro finished the first lap with the leading group. That was a nice start but He lost a lot of power to do it, so He had to slow down to could finish the race, ending with a 14° place in the race won by Gioele Bertolini, that has fought for all the time with the rider from New Zealand Samuel Gaze. The Open race was characterized by the presence of a lot of foreign riders, that have taken advantage of the proximity of the World Cup to compete one more International level race. At the start line the Team had Martin Loo, Stefano Valdrighi, Alessandro Repetti and Leonardo Di Pierdomenico. The track was hard like always, with its technical sections and its steep climbs. Marco Aurelio Fontana took the hole-shot, followed by Daniel McConnell, Andrea Tiberi, Michele Casagrande, the Braidot twins and the Hard Rock Merida rider Martin Loo. Since the second lap Fontana was alone in the lead, while the pursuers group lost time, allowing the coming back of the ex-Olympic Championo Miguel Martinez, but loosing the Braidot twins. During the laps came also a little shower to add show on the already fought competition. Stefano Valdrighi had a crash, luckily without any physical consequences, but that forced Him to stop to release the chain and loose useful time. Same story for Alessandro Repetti and Leonardo di Pierdomenico. The second was forced to quit the race due to a severe hit on His leg. During the last two laps Marco Aurelio Fontana was caught by Daniel MacConnell (winner of the first World Cup stage of Albstadt) who wins with only a few seconds of advantages. Martin Loo fought until the finish line with Miguel Martinez and Andrea Tiberi, ending up between the two in 5th position. The Italian International XCO Series is over, so it’s time to make a summit of the first part of the Hard Rock Merida season. The team chief Marco Boccellari talks about His guys - "I’m satisfied of the young Junior rider Alessandro Naspi, at the first year with our jersey. The guy and His family have been integrated well between the crew, allowing Him to work in the right way in spite of the distance of Their home. Alessandro showed up to now to be between the best 5 Italian Juniores at the first year of the category. We are convinced that He could improve Himself again during the season and during the next years”. The Under23s are all at the first year, all coming from the growth in the youth part of the Hard Rock Merida Team. "Alessandro and Leonardo are more students than athletes this year - exlains Marco Boccellari – but Stefano up to now is 100% focus on His rider life. Thanks to this great chance that His family has offered HimGrazie anche a questa possibilità, Valdrighi has shown a real improvement and nice results in the first part of the season. He had problems only in the two last stages of the Italian International XCO, but during the first three months of the season He collected very well results, continuing improve himself. He finish the Series in the top ten of the final rank of the challenge, better than Him of the first year u23s has done only Beltain Schmidt. He has the way to could become a pro-MTBbiker, but now He must continue work hard to improve His technical abilities to follow that way. For Ale and Leo all is linked to the choices that they will take when they will finish study. The under23 category at the moment is the most hard, there is only a few range of possibilities to emerge, especially during the first two years, due to the high level and to the problems of the riders of that age. The big experience accumulated during a lot of years of working with young guys makes me proud to continue offering they expectations and incentives, let’s see how We will catch home in the future ". Martin Loo is the most important rider of the team. He began the season with two top 20 in World Cup, and catching the podium in the final rank of the Italian International XCO Series. "I’m really proud of Him - confirms Boccellari –We started working last year with Martin, recruiting Him in the last moments before the start of the season. Since the 2012 He impressed us with His humility and seriousness. Since the middle of the last season we started projecting with Him and his coach Domingo an improving path to come up in the UCI ranking, to allow Him to start in right positions and catch well results. The young guy from Tallin (Estonia) has improved himself in all other fields, until become up to know a real pro-rider. The third place at the International Italian Series is a nice present for all the work done, but is also an incentive for us to continue improve ourself and for him to continue grow up and compete well in the next World competition, to fight with more convinction". Concluding with nice results and good vibrations. "Now we will partecipate at home stage of the World Cup at Val di Sole (Italy) with Martin Loo, Stefano Valdrighi and Alessandro Naspi – concludes the team manager – after that we will support the Estionan National Team for the European Championships, then the Team will be focused on the national championships. The season is in the middle and thanks to our sponsor we will try to give our best".
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:31:33 +0000
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