Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali 2021 – 36th Edition – TTT Gatteo Gatteo 10 km – 23/03/2021 – Israel Start-Up Nation – photo Roberto Bettini/BettiniPhoto©2021ISN storms to victory in Coppi e Bartali Team Time trial

Super-strong riders pushed up to 70km/h

Israeli Guy Niv: A moment I will remember forever

Numbers. It all comes down to numbers.

One second. Seven guys working together as one. Those seven Israel Start-Up Nation riders covered the 10.8 kilometers around Gatteo in 11:36. One second faster than the second-placed team, two seconds faster than the third-placed team.

The average speed along the way was 55.862 km/h, and they rode the last two kilometers in two minutes flat – yes, at 60 km/h. After giving their all for the previous 12 km. In his last turn at the front, Matthias Brändle was even pushing 70 km/h

But what else can you expect from a time trial team led by Alex Dowsett and Matthias Brändle, former World Hour Record champions, a team which worked hard to win?

Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali 2021 – 36th Edition – TTT Gatteo Gatteo 10 km – 23/03/2021 – Israel Start-Up Nation – photo Roberto Bettini/BettiniPhoto©2021

It wasn’t enough to give us the leader’s jersey, but we are still in great position with Alex in second place, Ben Hermans in third, and actually we have all the places from two to nine!

If that’s not enough, how about our Sebastian Berwick – just 21 years old – now wearing the jersey of the best young rider? And that’s in his very first race in the top ranks!

In addition to the accomplishments of the team, there were also, of course, personal aspects to the race. They came together for Alex and Guy Niv.

“I was emotional as can be!! You had to hear our screams when we heard that we won… it was crazy. A moment I will remember forever,” said our young Israeli.

“Winning is great. You always feel that it is a team making it and sharing it, but when you do it in a TTT, there is nothing like it. It’s the ultimate teamwork: to know that everyone did his job in such a perfect way and we came out the best team today — that was the most exhilarating feeling.

“But I must say that we enjoyed the four exceptional engines: the guys that set the pace for us and contributed the most for this victory and when you have the experience and the knowledge of a Dowsett and a Brändle, then everything is just faster and better.”

“For me personally I love the team time trial and there’s not many of them nowadays,” Alex told us. “Today was pretty special. We worked really hard in the last weeks building up to this, with the whole team, the directors, formulating a plan, a strategy, working with our strengths and minimizing our weaknesses and the whole team rode fantastically together, we didn’t lose anyone along the way.

Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali 2021 – 36th Edition – TTT Gatteo Gatteo 10 km – 23/03/2021 – Israel Start-Up Nation – photo Roberto Bettini/BettiniPhoto©2021

And what is next? The immediate plan, according to Alex, is that ““We’ll celebrate this evening, and maybe have a small Fantini wine.”