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Matthew Walls wins 105th GranPiemonte presented by EOLO

07/10/2021

Matthew Walls wins 105th GranPiemonte presented by EOLO

Matthew Walls wins the 2021 GranPiemonte presented by EOLO

Track cycling star Matthew Walls showcased his speed to fellow sprinting stars on the finishing line of Borgosesia to win the 105th edition of Il Gran Piemonte presented by Eolo. The 23-year-old Bora-Hansgrohe rider took the wheel of Max Richeze (UAE Team Emirates) before he launched the sprint. He fended off Giacomo Nizzolo (Qhubeka-NextHash) and Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) who is only 19 years of age. Earlier, the race was animated by a breakaway composed of Marco Frapporti (Vini Zabù), Manuele Boaro (Astana – PremierTech), Sylvain Moniquet (Lotto Soudal), Marc Soler (Movistar Team) and Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (Trek – Segafredo), who was reeled in 27km before the end by the bunch led by Ineos Grenadiers, Team Qhubeka Nexthash and Cofidis.

 

FINAL RESULTS

1 – Matthew Walls  (Bora-Hansgrohe) – 168km in 3h34’47”, average speed 46.931 km/h

2 – Giacomo Nizzolo (Qhubeka NextHash) s.t.

3 – Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma) s.t

4 – Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates) s. t

5 – Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) s. t.

 

 

 

 

Matthew Walls, the winner

The winner of the Gran Piemonte presented by Eolo Matthew Walls  (Bora-Hansgrohe) said in the post-race press conference: “It’s great to win Il GranPiemonte. It’s nice to be able to perform on the road. We knew it would come down to a bunch sprint. The boys worked for me all day. I’m really happy that I finished it off. It was worth it. I did the Tour of Norway a couple of weeks after the Olympics. It was a hard three days for me there, but on the final day I managed to find my legs and I won a stage. It was a nice transition back into road racing. It’s pretty big for me to win my second pro race here today. I was mostly watching Elia Viviani and Giacomo Nizzolo. I’m glad I was able to beat them.

 

Second place, Giacomo Nizzolo (Qhubeka NextHash), said: “To finish second while coming in a bit faster on the line is always a pity. I’m a bit disappointed, but that’s it. The guy who won was very strong and very fast. This was my last race of the year. At the start, I knew Matthew Walls and Olav Kooij could be fast. I did my best, congrats to them. As a cyclist, you have to be ready for everything: I was doing Paris-Roubaix on Saturday and the Coppa Bernocchi under the rain the day after. Today, luckily we had a beautiful day. It’s been a good season. I look forward to next year.”

 

Third-place, Olav Kooij (Jumbo-Visma), said: “I don’t how I crashed. The front wheel slipped and I was on the ground. It’s never nice to crash, especially so close to the finale. Luckily, there’s nothing too bad and with the help of my teammates, I could still come back. I felt some adrenaline and not too much pain, so I tried to sprint for the win. It’s nice to make the podium but the crash is not what I wanted. I would have liked the sprint to keep going and take the win here. Third place is not bad at all. You never know what the future holds but hopefully I’ll make some nice steps in the coming years.”

 

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