Giro d’Abruzzo: Callejas, Zimmermann climbing to the top

 

Brutal conditions on Stage 3 of the Giro D'Abruzzo, Edison Callejas (Petrolike) delivered the biggest win of his career with a sensational solo attack on the final climb. He defied the cold and rain to take a memorable win on the queen stage of the race. Callejas crossed the line ahead of Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché-Wanty) and David De la Cruz (Q36.5 Pro) in a hard-fought victory in the Apennines. Perfectly managing his efforts on this final climb, Zimmermann overtook his competitors one after the other to take second place and secure his first podium of the season. He takes the lead in the GC on the eve of the final stage with an 11-second advantage over David de la Cruz.

"This stage really suited my characteristics. I felt strong right from the start of the climb and I noticed that the general classification contenders were cautious, so I pulled ahead. I had very good legs. I really believe this is the start of something big with our partner Petrolike, which is building the future with promising young talent."

-Edison Callejas

"I managed the wet weather better and was able to compete with the best climbers. I knew I had a chance on the leader's jersey, so I focused on that in the final. I think I made the right decisions, even though in hindsight, knowing that I dropped my competitors for the GC easily, I should have started my sprint earlier to distance them more. I've never won a stage race before, this would be an important milestone in my career. The stage looks quite difficult to control. I expect chaos, but with teammates like Louis Meintjes we have the intelligence to manage it well."

-Georg Zimmermann