Peron sprints to third on stage one in Mirabelle

Italian sprinter Andrea Peron came within a whisker of his second victory for Team Novo Nordisk, sprinting to third on today’s 160km opening stage of Tour de la Mirabelle after a close fought finale in France.

Head sports director Massimo Podenzana:

“Very good teamwork from the guys in the final today and it’s great to see Andrea firing again and coming back into some form ahead of the summer targets. To start here with a top three is great.”

“It took a long time for the breakaway to go despite repeated attempts and finally after 60km of racing a small group gained a couple of minutes, but it was never going anywhere. We had a clear objective to work for Andrea in the final and the guys all did their jobs. He came very close to another win, 50 meters more and maybe.”

Andrea Peron:

“I’m actually really frustrated with the finale, because the last kilometer was quite poorly marked and I started my sprint too late. I thought there was 300m to go but there was only 100m so I feel it was a missed opportunity. It is was it is and there wasn’t much in it at the end, but I felt like I had the speed to do better than third.”

“Thanks to the boys, they did a good job for me on the run in to the final and I can feel some form is coming. I’m over the sickness from last week and after such a hard race in Cologne last weekend, it feels good to be riding strongly and starting off with a podium finish.”

Photo Credits: Sprint Cycling Agency