The Irish Continental team EvoPro Racing picked up three more UCI wins last week in Eastern Europe, but they came away bruised in more ways than one.
They
suffered an ambush on the road during the last stage of the race they were riding
and lost the yellow jersey.
And
away from the racing action, the new team was also robbed of a lot of equipment;
though some of it was returned with the help of the race organisers.
EvoPro
Racing started brilliantly in of Belgrade Banjaluka (2.1); a four stage race in
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The
team won the opening stage with Aaron Gate; the Kiwi doing exactly what he had
done at the New Zealand Cycle Classic earlier in the year.
He won the opener from a breakaway; collection the win on the day and yellow and looking good to defend the lead all the way
Advertisement
However, while everything went well in New Zealand and he won the race outright, a puncture cost him dearly on the fourth and final stage in Eastern Europe last week.
After
Gate won the first stage, Wouter Wippert popped up for EvoPro Racing and won
the next two stages in bunch sprints.
Gate
held his yellow jersey and heading into the final stage on Sunday, some 175km
from Prnjavor to Banjaluka he look odds on to defend the yellow jersey.
Related News
There
were just a couple of modest climbs early in the stage, with a flat course to
follow.
However,
when Gate punctured the hammer went on in the peloton and that ensured he never
regained contact, despite his team mates waiting for him.
Their
efforts were complicated by the fact one of their number, Cyrus Monk, crashed.
But
it was the injection of pace in the group when the Irish team’s race leader
crash that ensured he lost the race overall.
Such
was the speed in the bunch that the main field was whittled down to just 40
riders by the finish.
Gate
eventually finished the stage some 4:43 down on that reduced peloton, in the
same group as Irish rider and team mate Daire Feeley.
And
that ensured Gate lost yellow and tumbled down the standings to 42nd
overall.
The
team was also targeted in a robbery while on Serbian soil during their trip
away to the race.
Thieves took two Guerciotti frames from the team as well as a groupset, four luggage bags, three phones and a laptop.
While the race organisers of the race were very helpful to the Irish team, and some items were retrieved, the robbery was a real incovenience.
Topics
