“I barely dared to celebrate before I reached the line. On the one hand, because I didn’t believe I won. On the other hand, I wasn’t sure whether there was still a breakaway. What an amazing feeling this is!”
Riley Pickrell, who is nicknamed ‘Torrito’, was ecstatic after his powerful sprint to the line on the fourth stage in the Giro Giovani 2022, which resulted in his first victory on European soil. “I knew I had this in the legs, and finally it worked out.”
The whole stage it was Israel Cycling Academy doing the chasing. The youngsters from the Continental team had missed the break and spent the day committed to bringing the first group back.
“With five kilometers to go, there was one final climb to overcome”, Pickrell said after the stage. “We went all out on it, in a single file. There were plenty of guys popping out of the line, but I just managed to hold on. Mason Hollyman and Edo Goldstein pulled me further up the bunch in the descent.”
He tried his best to keep his position in the bunch. “With 200 meters to go, I decided to launch it, and when I realized I won, I was stoked.”
