Israel – Premier Tech finished off this year’s Coppi e Bartali with an incredible performance by Omer Goldstein who took third place on the final stage after being on the attack all day.
Already from the start of the day, it was clear to see that Goldstein was eager to fight for a big result. After meticulously studying the course, the 25-year-old Israeli knew exactly what he needed to do to get in the mix and when the first dangerous attacks occurred, Goldstein was quick to join the action.
“I thought this could be the right move so I jumped with the strong guys”, Goldstein explained after the stage. “We managed to open up a big gap on the peloton and at one point I was even the virtual leader of the race. I knew it wouldn’t stay like that but it was still a pretty cool moment for me.”
When the front group entered the local circuit in Cantagrillo, which included a challenging climb of 7 km, Goldstein was the first rider to take action.
“I knew I had to attack as my experience has taught me that often the best defense is a strong offense. Only the two riders from Quick Step were able to stay with me and on the last two laps, they started to attack me, one after the other. I could close down the first attacks, and I even tried to get away myself as well, but at the end, Cerny got a gap.”
Goldstein did his best to keep the leading rider on a tight leash, trying to bring him back, but ultimately, he had to settle for third place on the stage. In the general classification, Goldstein finished in an impressive 14th place.
“Today, I went full gas for the victory so of course I’m a little disappointed with third place. I really did my best to win this stage. However, this is the best result in Europe for me so I’m happy with that and I’m happy with how my shape is right now. I’m looking forward to see what I can do in my next races.”
