Merida aim high

Manama : Many of the Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team members are set to participate in National Road Championship races in Italy, Spain and Slovenia taking place during this week.

The Italian riders – except for Franco Pellizotti, who is recovering from tendinitis, that forced him to abandon the Critérium of Dauphiné – will be at the Italian National Road Race Championships, that will be held in Piedmont Region this Sunday.

This race is called “Gran Piemonte” and will cover a distance of 236km from Asti to Ivrea. “The course is very long” explains Sports Director Paolo Slongo. “After an undulating start, there will be a climb at 5% average (with max. gradient of 11%), a fast descent and then some short hills before the final circuit of 21.3 km (four laps) where the 2km climb with a gradient over 10% and peaks of 15% will for sure be very challenging. Both Visconti and Colbrelli are in very good form and showed it in Slovenia. They can do well at the Italian Championship and Vincenzo Nibali will come back to race after a period of rest following the Giro d’Italia, to prepare the second part of the season”.

Only Manuele Boaro will ride the Individual Time Trial too, which will take place in Piedmont as well (Ciriè-Caluso 38,3 km).

In Spain the focus will be on the Individual Time Trial (Soria-Soria 43,1 km), with the defending champion Ion Izagirre, who will try to take the best time again. “He will aim to retain the Spanish title” says SD Mario Chiesa “At the Tour de Suisse Ion did well and felt good. So we are confident.” Then Izagirre will line up in the Road Race (Garray-Soria 207.3km), together with Ivan Cortina, Javier Moreno and Ion Ander Insausti (who will ride the TT too). “We have just four riders, so it won’t be easy against teams with more athletes, but we will do our best” adds Chiesa. “The race will be hard in particular in the final part with the six laps of a circuit that features a demanding climb. You need to be clever to interpret the race at best”.

A significant group of Bahrain Merida riders will be at the Slovenian National Road Race Championships, that will be held in Kranj on a circuit of 10 km (six laps, 160 km total). “I think the course can suit an attempt of breakaway and for that will be ready with Luka Pibernik” comments SD Gorazd Štangelj “Otherwise we can have the chance to compete in a sprint of a reduced group with Grega Bole, supported by Borut Bozic. There are various solutions, let’s see according to how the race goes”.

In China Meiyin Wang will ride the Time Trial on 24th, the Criterium on 25th and the Road Race on 26th, while Tsgabu Grmay will compete in Ethiopia both in Individual Time Trial and in Road Race.

Cyclists:

Italian National Championships: Road Race: Agnoli Valerio, Manuele Boaro, Niccolò Bonifazio, Sonny Colbrelli, Enrico Gasparotto, Antonio Nibali, Vincenzo Nibali, Giovanni Visconti. Individual Time Trial: Manuele Boaro

Spanish National Championships: Road Race: Ion Ander Insausti, Ion Izagirre, Ivan Cortina, Javier Moreno. Individual Time Trial: Ion Izagirre, Ion Ander Insausti.

Slovenian National Championships: Road Race: Grega Bole, Borut Bozic, Janez Brajkovic, Luka Pibernik, David Per, Domen Novak.