Wednesday, October 7^th - Team Bahrain McLaren riders stood out on the races they were attending today, moving up to second place overall at the Giro d’Italia and taking 4^th place at “De Brabantse Pijl” with Sonny Colbrelli.

Good news comes from Italy, where Pello Bilbao has gained a position in the Giro d’Italia overall and is now second with a 43” gap from the race leader, the Portuguese João Almeida. On stage 5, Filippo Ganna won from the breakaway under heavy rain. The first chasing group, including Bilbao (8^th) and Pernsteiner (16^th), came to the finish after 34”.

“It was a challenging stage - said Pello Bilbao - both for the final climb and the weather conditions. We have gone from 30 and more degrees in Sicily to 15 today. I took another small step in the standings, and this comforts me on my good shape and condition. I want to thank my teammates because they always work hard and help me a lot during the race”.

SD Franco Pellizotti said: “The team worked very well again today and Jan Tratnik was the protagonist of the attack of the day. Pello Bilbao’s second place in the GC is an excellent result that confirms his good physical condition, but I would also like to mention Hermann Pernsteiner’s 14th place overall”.

In Belgium, Sonny Colbrelli showed that De Brabantse Pijl is a race that suits him. The Italian rider, who was a former winner in 2017 and second in 2018, put in a strong performance, battling with some of the best riders in the world, as Alaphilippe, Van der Poel and Cosnefroy. The trio took advantage in the finale and Sonny couldn’t manage to close the gap, with Julian Alaphilippe, who took the first win as World Champion, outsprinting respectively Van de Poel and Cosnefory. 

Sonny Colbrelli took the sprint for the 4^th place: “What a race. It was very hard. In the finale, I was dropped for about 20 meters on the new cobblestone climb on the course. Then Dylan did a great job pulling for me, helping me to sprint to 4^th place. I’m satisfied with my race today and I consider it a good experience and preparation ahead of the Gent-Wevelgem”.

Team Bahrain McLaren Sports Director Tim Harris: “We’re super happy with the team today. Everybody did a very good job. In the finale, Sonny was super good and on the very steep climb he just for few millimetres he couldn’t go with Van der Poel, Alaphilippe and Cosnefroy. It’s a shame to be dropped by those guys in a very hard moment, but the team did a very good ride, Dylan did a fantastic ride also to bring back group, so Sonny could sprint for a 4^th place. I think it was a top ride from the entire team. We can’t ask for more”.

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