Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5) came late to win the Clasica de Almeria(Image credit: Getty Images)
Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5) emerged late to win the Clasica de Almeria (Image credit: Getty Images)
Matteo Moschetti gave Q36.5 their first win of the season(Image credit: Getty Images)
Luke Rowe leads the Clasica de Almeria peloton(Image credit: Getty Images)
The Clasica de Almeria was raced on exposed roads(Image credit: Getty Images)
The Clasica de Almeria peloton had some roadside spectators(Image credit: Getty Images)
The sun was out for the Clasica de Almeria peloton(Image credit: Getty Images)
Matteo Moschetti delivered the new Q36.5 team its first success, taking a surprise sprint victory in the Clasica de Almeria in Spain.
"It’s a really special victory for all of us! We’re a new team and this was one of our first races so to already have a nice win like that is important for not just me, but all the riders, all the staff and, of course, all the sponsors," Moschetti said.
"It was a really nice day for us but it was not easy. It was quite windy but we managed well to always be in a good position in the most dangerous sectors.
"The guys did an amazing job, it’s one of the first races that were racing together so it’s not easy to find each other in such a technical final. In the final I was a bit far back so I tried to launch my sprint early. I had good legs and felt it was a good moment to launch. And luckily, I was right and we got the victory!"
The Italian who showed so much promise in his WorldTour debut with Trek-Segafredo but struggled with crashes and major injuries showed he is back to his full potential, out-sprinting Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe), the fast-man of the moment, Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny) and 2022 winner Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X).
De Lie bounced off Max Walscheid (Cofidis) in the final 50 metres and lost his chance at a fourth win of the season after losing his leadout train faded in the final three kilometres.
"I think we worked really well as a team, we took the race in our hands and that was the plan. I can't fault the team. In a sprint everything is about details and I think as a team we did a fantastic job. We organized well, there was just a little mistake in the end," De Lie said.
Meeus, who spent the entire Vuelta a Murcia in the breakaway and finished third in the uphill sprint, said he felt the efforts of Saturday's cold and rainy race when it mattered most.
"It was a super hectic final with all the roundabouts and the headwind and then a full cross-tailwind finish. My teammates did an amazing job to put me in a good position, unfortunately I didn't have the legs to finish it off. At the moment I had to make the kick, it wasn't there anymore."
A stiff headwind knocked out much of the race 190km Spanish race, with only a short-lived breakaway and an unsuccessful attempt to split the bunch in a crosswind the highlights before the frantic dash for the line.
Luis Angel Mate (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Eugenio Sanchez (Kern Pharma) and Sander De Pestel (Flanders Baloise) attacked from kilometre zero and the peloton seemed rather unconcerned, letting the trio gain almost seven minutes on them before the first difficulty, the Alto de Celín - a 7km ascent averaging 5.2%.
The gap fell steadily on the mid-race loop from Beria to Adra but when the leaders hit the coast for the eastward 80 kilometre run to Roquetas de Mar, the block headwind hurt the three riders out front much more than the peloton. Their time out front came to an end with 67km to go.
A crash a few kilometres later took down Corey Davis (Q36.5) and Gleb Brussenskiy (Astana Qazaqstan) but the next 40 kilometres were largely uneventful.
Burgos-BH upped the pace in the peloton through a roundabout with 21km to go and with a small rise and change of direction into a cross-headwind, Bora-Hansgrohe surged to split the peloton.
They caught out Intermarché-Circus-Wanty but Uno-X were quick to respond in the second group and bring back Alexander Kristoff, but were unsuccessful in distancing the main sprint threat De Lie.
It all came back together for the finish but then De Lie's train fell apart amid the shuffle for position. It looked as if Uno-X had things under control for Kristoff but the Norwegian hit out too early and Moschetti came around the long way at speed to snatch the first win for his new team.
Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.
