Veneto Classic, CX Ruddervoorde

 

The Veneto Classic was the season’s last European road race, next stop for the pro peloton was the winter break. The one-day race covered a distance of 191.7 kilometers from Soave to Bassano del Grappa. It was a challenging course; especially in the finale, going up and down, with some steep sections. Even the second-to-last climb was unpaved. 

Magnus Cort stayed in the breakaway group, but with 10 kilometers from the finish lead with a forty-second lead over five strong riders: Hirschi, Grégoire, Pellizzari, Zana and Meurisse. The race reached the final obstacle: the steep Strad Soarda. With a climb of thirteen percent but only four hundred meters long. Grégoire got within fifteen seconds of Cort, but it was too late. The Cort held on to win solo. The Dane of Uno-X Mobility jumped with the early breakaway and held off favorites Romain Grégoire and Marc Hirschi to win the Veneto Classic.

“It‘s the perfect way for me to end the season. It’s a pretty spectacular race, maybe not one the big classics, but I am happy and proud how I rode it. The reason I wanted to get in the breakaway was because of that hill (La Tisa). I knew if we could come in on the laps with the cobblestone climb and have a gap in there, we could go a really long way because it is a very difficult climb.”

-Magnus Cort