April 30th, 2023
Colombian takes Movistar Team to nine victories this year with amazing final rush in Geneva. Matteo Jorgenson 2nd overall after great efforts all week
The best possible morale boost after the Movistar Team’s efforts to shine at the best races, and no better result to head into the first Grand Tour of 2023. Fernando Gaviria offered the Blues on Sunday a great moment of joy with a superb win on the final stage of the Tour de Romandie, held over 170km from Vufflens-la-Ville to the city of Geneva.
Dropped from the main peloton after the main Cat-2 and Cat-3 climbs prior to the finish, the Blues were patient to guide him back to the field, and the excellent work from Mühlberger and Oliveira in the approach to the line were crowned by the Colombian. He kept calm, sought for his position before the last kink right with 300 meters to go, and right there, he deployed all of his power with an unstoppable sprint. It’s his 51st pro win, the Abarca Sports organisation’s ninth in 2023 and the Blue boys’ eight success this season.
Matteo Jorgenson also sealed on Sunday his second spot overall, only behind Adam Yates (UAD). It’s the best WorldTour result in an exhilarating progression from the young American, author of an excellent ITT on Friday (2nd) and a fantastic climb to Thyon 2000 on Saturday’s Queen stage (5th).
REACTION / Fernando Gaviria:
“It’s been a really hard day. The climbs were so fast and I had to leave some room between myself and the group, but I did as much as I could so stay close. The boys really helped me to get back and I made the most out of it to pay them back and bring a victory to the team. I focused myself on avoiding any dangers until the final kilometer, seek for a spot to progress and launch at my distance, right before the last turn. The legs responded well and I could achieve this fantastic victory. It’s a really important success for me. I trained so hard to reach the Giro d’Italia in the best possible condition, and now I know I’m ready to give my best in Italy and go for success.”
