The Q36.5 Pro Cycling team signed an outstanding performance at the Sibiu Tour, a four -day stages held in Romania, rising as the best set of the general classification. Led by sports director Daniele Nieri, runners such as Frederik Frison, Joey Pidcock, Nicoló Parisini, Walter Calzoni, Harm Vanhoucke and David de la Cruz managed to climb the podium in three of the four stages. In the general, De la Cruz concluded second, while Vanhoucke was fifth. The American Matthew Riccitello took the final victory.
De la Cruz's performance had its highest point in the two mountain stages, where he finished second and third, with Vanhoucke very close in both days. The solidity of the block was key to placing its leaders in front positions before decisive increases, showing great rapport between team members.
The race concluded on Sunday with a short but technical time trial through the cobbled streets of Sibiu. Frison and Pidcock managed to finish in 11th and 12th position respectively, rolling to an average close to 44 km/h in a demanding layout for their urban profile.
At the end of the test, David de la Cruz valued his performance:
“It has been a very beautiful week in Romania next to a fantastic group, both runners and staff. Winning the team general reflects the good dynamics we have had. On a personal level I have found feelings. I am happy to climb to the podium and perform well in the mountainous stages. Although it is not the most demanding career of the calendar, the sensations in the climbs have been very good. Riccitello has proven to be the strongest.”
“On the other hand, I have the thorn of not being able to achieve victory, which was the main objective here. The final chrono, because of its characteristics, was not the most favorable for me. Perhaps with a longer and with a chrono bike I would have had more options, although I understand that the organization wants to highlight the beauty of Sibiu.”
The next challenge of the Catalan cyclist will be an altitude concentration, already with an eye on his great goal of the season: Lavuelta to Spain.
