Matevz Govekar wins conclusive stage in China

At the Gree-Tour of Guangxi Team BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS may have missed out on its target of scoring a top 5 result on GC. But at the end of the conclusive stage Matevz Govekar was the fastest rider of a reduced peloton, sprinting to what was his first career win in a Worldtour race. Matej Mohoric added another podium result by finishing the Japan Cup in 3rd on the same day.

For the professional road racing peloton the season came to an end in the Far East, with the Gree-Tour of Guangxi in China as the last Worldtour race to be contested. While five of its stages offered opportunities for sprinters, the Queen’s stage ended with a relatively short but steep climb. Team BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS brought Torstein Traeen as its captain for GC and the trio of Matevz Govekar, Dusan Rajovic and Alberto Bruttomesso as its options for sprints. Finlay Pickering, Robert Stannard and Lukas Wisniowski completed the line-up as support riders. At the end of the first stage, Dusan Rajovic recorded a first top 10 result by sprinting to a 7th place. One day later, Alberto Bruttomesso and Matevz Govekar finished the second stage in 4th and 5th, respectively. Despite a strong performance in the finale, the team then missed out on a top 10 result in stage 3.

It was up to Alberto Bruttomesso to score a first podium result for Team BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS by sprinting to 3rd at the end of stage 4. The Queen’s stage ended in disappointment as Torstein Traeen got dropped early on, and Robert Stannard tried to fly the team’s colours instead. On the final steep ramps, the Australian could not keep up with the most explosive climbers and crossed the finish line in 15th. The conclusive stage of the Gree-Tour of Guangxi was another opportunity for sprinters - at least for those who made it over the main climb on the loop around the city of Nanning. Deep into the finale, a second group of riders, including Matevz Govekar, managed to get back to the large lead group. From there, Govekar timed his acceleration perfectly and dashed to his first career win in a Worldtour race. In his wake, Robert Stannard crossed the finish line in 3rd.

As for the Japan Cup Team BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS relied on Matej Mohoric as its captain and local hero Yukiya Arashiro. Riding in their support were the likes of Nicolo Buratti, Andrea Pasqualon, Jasha Sütterlin and Edoardo Zambanini. On the day before the main race Mohoric showed some fine form by winning both intermediate sprints of the criterium race. He also was part of a 10-rider group that sprinted for the win but lacked some power to be a podium contender. On the next day, the Japan Cup was ridden on a 10-kilometer loop around the city of Utsunomiya that featured the Kogashiyama climb as its main difficulty. When the decisive attack came on the third-to-last of a total of 14 laps, Matej Mohoric was one of the five riders that went up the road to contest for the win. With a 3rd place, Mohoric added another podium result to the team’s tally.

RESULTS:
5TH GREE-TOUR OF GUANXI
STAGE 6: NANNING - NANNING, 134.3KM
1. Matevz Govekar, SVN/TEAM BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS, in 2:51.55 hours
2. Marijn van den Berg, NED, st
3. Robert Stannard, AUS/TEAM BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS, st

STAGE 4: BAMA - JINCHENGJIANG, 176.8KM
1. Ethan Vernon, GBR, in 4:02.11 hours
2. Max Kanter, GER, st
3. Alberto Bruttomesso, ITA/TEAM BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS, st

31ST JAPAN CUP: UTSUNOMIYA - UTSUNOMIYA, 144.2KM
1. Neilson Powless, USA, in 3:33.30 hours
2. Ilan van Wilder, BEL, st
3. Matej Mohoric, SVN/TEAM BAHRAIN VICTORIOUS, st

Photos: Sprint Cycling Agency