A fantastic sprint to beat his breakaway companions: Sonny Colbrelli hits the classic of classics on his first attempt.
In the register of the 118th Paris-Roubaix, the classic of road cycling, there is written – after 22 years – the name of an Italian.
It is that of the European champion and Italian champion, Colbrelli, who was taking part in the legendary race for the first time. Colbrelli (Bahrain) beat his two last breakaway companions, Belgian Florian Vermeersch and Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel, in the sprint.
Fourth place for Gianni Moscon from Trentino, protagonist of a very long breakaway but betrayed by a puncture and a fall that caused him to be caught up by the Lombard trio.
The last Italian to win the Paris-Roubaix, a 258km classic road race (55km of which on cobblestones), was Andrea Tafi in 1999.
The 31-year-old Lombard rider of (Bahrain-Victorious), already Italian and European champion this year, rode a tactically perfect race, starting from Compiegne and arriving, after thirty sectors of cobblestones (55 km in total), at the Velodrome of the French town bordering Belgium. “I attacked with 90 km to go, then in the final I chased Van der Poel and did a super sprint. I was at the limit. I'm really happy, it's a dream, a legend”. Sonny Colbrelli after his victory in Paris-Roubaix. “Moscon's breakaway? He's very strong, he attacked with 30 km to go, but behind us we were a good group and we all worked together”, explained the Brescian of the Bahrain-Victorious team. “This is my year, I'm really happy”, he added.
“I think it's another pearl of this fantastic 2021 for Italian sport that I wish would never end.” The president of the Cycling Federation, Cordiano Dagnoni, comments Sonny Colbrelli's success at Paris-Roubaix. "It was spectacular, he is generous and gets excited in bad weather. I have known Colbrelli since he was a boy, I was a track technician when he was a student. He is a boy who deserves this success; he has never given up, he has never lost heart. I am happy for him and for Italian cycling", concludes the president of the Fci.
With the coolness of someone who knows how to weigh every word as much as the goals he scores, Giacomo Raspadori, who was decisive against Lecce, described Napoli's success as follows: “I think we have built many little pieces during the year, now we are at the end, there are three games left but we must only think about the next one, it is the most important one”.
The number 81 of the Italian national team, author of the goal that decided the match at the Via del Mare, wanted to shift the attention to what is hidden behind the limelight: "There are goals that are remembered, but what remains for us is what is behind them, the daily work that is needed to win games like this. We did it, and that is never a given."
Naples – After the hard-fought victory against Milan, Napoli Antonio Conte can breathe a sigh of relief not only for the three points, but also for the physical condition of Stanislav Lobotka.
The Slovakian midfielder left the pitch at the end of the match grimacing in pain and limping, raising fears of a knee problem. However, post-match tests ruled out any serious injuries: it was just a cramps due to accumulated fatigue. His presence against the Bologna there is no doubt.
A tragic road accident rocked the community of Pozzuoli last night, resulting in the death of a 58-year-old man. The victim, identified as Daniele Ciro, originally from Arzano but resident in Licola, died from serious injuries sustained in the crash. According to initial reports from the competent authorities,…
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