With a tactically smart ride, Adrien Boichis claimed overall victory at the Istrian Spring Tour. The young Frenchman also secured the first-ever win in the history of the newly founded Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe Rookies team. Callum Thornley (Great Britain) completed the strong team performance by finishing third overall. The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe Rookies also won the team classification.
Going into the final stage of the four-day tour through northern Croatia, Boichis was still sitting in second place in the overall standings. However, he secured three crucial bonus seconds in an intermediate sprint, which allowed him to overtake the previous leader, Spaniard Adrià Pericas (UAE Team Emirates Gen Z). For the 22-year-old, it was his first-ever victory in road racing. “Callum (Thornley) gave me the perfect lead-out for the sprint, and I made the most of it. After that, we controlled the race perfectly. We can be really pleased with our performance,” Boichis said at the finish line.
Callum Thornley was not only a key support rider but also delivered an impressive result himself. In the final sprint of the last stage, the 21-year-old secured second place in the stage classification. The accompanying time bonus allowed him to climb further in the overall standings, finishing in a strong third place. “The perfect ending to a great week,” he commented. “Aside from the results, we also showed strong tactical awareness – that’s a great sign for the upcoming races,” Thornley concluded.
Former Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider Cesare Benedetti served as the team’s sports director on-site. “Even without the victory, I would have been happy because the guys worked together perfectly and put in a really strong performance. The fact that we secured the overall win in our very first stage race makes me incredibly proud. Congratulations to Adrien, but also to the entire team for this fantastic achievement.” The next race for the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe Rookies will be the Italian stage race Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, taking place from March 25 to 29.
Photo: Dino Radmanovic