Irvine produces strong ride for 12th in Sibiu Tour Prologue

Head Sports Director Massimo Podenzana:

“It’s great to get our first time at the Sibiu Tour underway. A short and flat prologue, this one doesn’t suit us particularly well and our aim was to get all the guys through without any problem, so I am pleased that we managed to do that and Declan putting in a strong ride made for a good start for us.”

“The course was quite technical due to the cobbles, turns and medieval archways and we were fortunate that the rain held off until the very last riders because the wet surface made it very difficult and dangerous. Tomorrow is a hard stage with the first uphill finish of the race, and we will do our best to help Peter and David position well with the other climbers.”

Declan Irvine:

“We got to the start quite early and I was able to do a few laps of the course to recon and I think that really helped, because it was pretty technical but also a course that you could carry a lot of speed into if you approached it with the right amount of courage.”

“I still think I braked a little bit too much though, as soon as I finished, I was cursing myself because there was a corner that you could really fly through and as I was coming into it, I saw a puddle and dabbed the brakes, but in the end, it wasn’t that bad.

“I’m still pleased though, it would’ve been nice to start in the top ten, but we’re talking hundredths of a second differences, so 12^th and third-best young rider is still pretty satisfying.”