Once again, Israel Start-Up Nation was in the mix for the stage win in the Giro d’Italia as Davide Cimolai sprinted to second place on stage 7. This was the fourth podium place and the seventh Top 10 for the team in the race so far.
With a flat profile and a strong headwind for the majority of the day, it was no surprise to see only three riders interested in joining the early breakaway. The peloton kept the trio in check all day, never letting the gap exceed four minutes, and, as expected, it all came down to a sprint at the end.
Taking place in the backyard of the team’s sponsor, Vini Fantini, the ISN guys were eager to put on a strong performance today. Additionally, Sports Director Nicki Sørensen was hoping for a gift in the shape of a good result on his 46-birthday.
In the final kilometers of the stage, Cimolai did very well to get on the right wheels, ultimately finding his way to the wheel of Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) who took the win, while Cimolai gritted his teeth and hung on for second place on the line.
Team leader Dan Martin finished safely in the bunch, keeping his top-10 place overall ahead of tomorrow’s mountainous stage.
Davide Cimolai: “This almost feels like a victory. It’s another second place but today I’m happy because I did my best and when you do your best, you’ve got to be happy. After the last uphill part, I took the wheel of Ewan and I just did my best to stay there. It’s hard to beat him when he’s on a good day like today but we will try again for sure!”
