Worlds TTT / Prato

Notable sixth place for Movistar Team, very regular at the team time trial that opened the World Championships in Limburg. Visconti takes 5th in Prato

Movistar Team opened with good feelings their participation in the World Championships, which will extend until next Sunday in the Dutch region of Limburg. The squad directed by Eusebio Unzué got to measure their strength well during almost the entire 53.2-kilometer team time trial from Sittard to Valkenburg, with the first medals in this year’s Worlds up for grabs.

Castroviejo, Gutiérrez, Amador, Kiryienka -the four men making it to the finish together-, Plaza and Karpets kept their balance through the first three intermediate points, always progressing within the best ten and ultimately taking the 6th spot, 1.18 behind the winners -Omega Pharma-QuickStep, with only 3 seconds over BMC- and just half a minute after the third podium place taken by Orica-GreenEdge. The telephone squad confirms their improvements into a discipline where they claimed one of their most brilliant successes in 2012: the unforgettable Pamplona TTT opening the Vuelta a España.

Visconti confirms sensations in Prato
In turn, Giovanni Visconti was again Movistar Team’s top performer in the second race of the Italian weekend, the GP Industria e Commercio di Prato (178km), the Blue squad working at the front of the bunch in the final laps atop Carmignano (2.4km / 6%) to reel back the day’s break and keep the succeeding group of four tight -with Sella (AND) as winner of the day- before the group sprint. The Sicilian was second into the field -also containing Pablo Lastras- and 5th overall to round up a good double after his podium (3rd) in Saturday’s Memorial Marco Pantani.