Dem Charly Petelin säin Tour vu Sibiu / Charly Petelin’s Tour of Sibiu

Foto: Sibiu Cycling Tour

No der laanger Paus, déi duerch de Coronavirus bedéngt war, huet de Charly Petelin nees mat der Competitioun um Tour vu Sibiu a Rumänien ugefaangen. Fir seng zweet Competitioun (a säin éischten Tour) am Maillot vun der Ekipp Amore & Vita – Prodir huet de lëtzebuergesch-italienesche Cycliste d’Roll vum Ekippier iwwerholl an eng relativ gutt Aarbecht geleescht.

English version below

Geschriwwe vum / written by: Andy Foyen & Nancy Lambert

An enger normaler Saison kann déi italienesch Vëlosekipp Amore & Vita – Prodir eng Etappevictoire fir sech entscheeden, sou wéi dat lescht Joer mam Marco Tizza de Fall war. Dës Saison ass allerdéngs alles ausser normal: Ekippe vum World Tour hunn sech fir dës Course ugemellt, soudass et sou gutt wéi onméiglech war, déi selwecht Leeschtung ze widderhuelen. Dowéinst huet d’Zil vun Amore & Vita – Prodir doranner bestanen, déi beschtméiglecht Resultater z’erzielen, an dat virun allem mam Davide Appollonio fir d’Sprinten a mam Marco Tizza fir de Generalklassement. Och ee lëtzebuergesche Cycliste war um Start fir dës Ekipp ze ënnerstëtzen: de Charly Petelin.

Fir den eelere Brudder vum Jan Petelin war et déi éischt Course säit dem 16. Februar, wou hien um Trofeo Laigueglia deelgeholl huet, mee d’Course net op een Enn gefuer ass. Den Tour vu Sibiu huet mat engem Prolog vun 2,5 km ugefaangen. De Charly Petelin wousst, dass dëst eng vun deene wéinegen Occasioune war fir säi Gléck ze probéieren. Hien huet also säi Bescht ginn, hat allerdéngs och e bësse Pech: „D’Reconnaissance vum Prolog huet mir ganz gutt gefall an ech wollt ee gutt Resultat weisen. Ech misst ongeféier 20 Minutten nom éischte Coureur starten. Déi éischt zéng haten nach d’Chance, op enger dréchener Strooss ze fueren, mee duerno huet et ugefaange mat reenen. Ech misst ënnert Reen a Knëppelsteng starten, soudass et onméiglech war, eng gutt Zäit ze fueren. Par Rapport zu deenen anere Coureuren, déi ënnert de selwechte Wiederkonditioune fuere misste wéi ech, war ech wierklech séier. Ech war also zefridde mat menger Leeschtung, och wann ech net dat Resultat erreeche konnt, wat ech mir erhofft hunn“, analyséiert hien. De Petelin ass zum Schluss op déi 64. Positioun gefuer. 

Um zweeten Dag vun der Competitioun stoung Balea Lac um Programm, eng Etapp fir d’Biergfuerer. De Petelin krut d’Consigne, mam Tizza an Appollonio am Peloton ze bleiwen an hiren Ekippier ze sinn. D’Topekipp Bora Hansgrohe huet een héijen Tempo virginn a sech de Generalklassement mam Konrad a Mühlberger geséchert. De Marco Tizza ass 14. ginn an de Petelin ass mam Appollonio ukomm, woubäi hien opgepasst huet, dass de Sprinter net hors délai ukënnt. 

Foto: Sibiu Cycling Tour

Déi zweet Etapp war déi lescht Méiglechkeet fir de Lëtzebuerger, säi Gléck erauszefueren. Hie krut d’Erlabnis, an der Echappée matzefueren, mee hat nees Pech: „No dräi Kilometer sinn ech mat deenen Éischte matgefuer, mee grad dee Moment ass et zu enger Chute direkt viru mir komm, an där ech och involvéiert gouf. Dobäi ass d’Fixatioun vu mengem Schong futti gaangen. Ech misst dowéinst op den Auto waarden an dann alles gi fir nees zréck an de Peloton ze fueren.” An dëser immens hektescher Course huet d’Ekipp Amore & Vida – Prodit dofir gesuergt, dass de Marco Tizza an der Favoritegrupp ukënnt, soudass hie seng gutt Positioun am Gesamtklassement bäibehale konnt.

Déi nächst Etapp war déi wichtegst vun allen. Fir dee leschten Dag war ee schwieregt Biergzäitfuere virgesinn. 18 Fuerer sinn dorunner gescheitert, well se hors délai ukomm sinn. De Charly Petelin huet nees alles ginn an ass op enger gudder 70. Positioun mat ongeféier zwou Minutte virum Délai ukomm. Gläichzäiteg huet säi Leader Tizza et an d’Top 10 vum Gesamtklassement gepackt, an de Georg Mühlberger huet d’Victoire viru sengem Teamkolleeg Patrick Konrad fir sech entscheede kënnen. 

Déi lescht Etapp misst nach am Nomëtte gefuer ginn. Fir den Davide Appollonio, dee bis zu deem Zäitpunkt nach keng Occasioun hat fir ze glänzen, war et déi lescht Geleeënheet. Nodeems hie vun der ganzer Ekipp wärend der Course geschützt gouf, konnt den Italiener am Sprint, dee vum Pascal Ackermann (Bora Hansgrohe) gewonn gouf, déi 5. Plaz fir sech entscheeden. 

Als 94. am Generalklassement ass de Charly Petelin mam Tour zefridden. “D’Ekipp war immens frou mat der 5. Plaz vum Davide Appollonio an der leschter Etapp, a mam Tizza senger 9. Plaz am Generalklassement. Mir hätten net vill méi erreeche kënnen, soudass mir zimmlech zefridde sinn. Ech sinn och zefridde mat mengem Tour, well ech mech gutt gefillt hunn. Meng Been fillen sech elo och besser un. Et ass effektiv méi einfach, seng Form wärend engem Kompetitiounsdag ze verbesseren, wéi wärend engem normalen Training”, schléisst hien of.

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Photo: Sibiu Cycling Tour

After the long break due to the new coronavirus, Charly Petelin came back to the competition at the Tour of Sibiu, Romania. For his only second competition (and first Tour) in the jersey of the team Amore & Vita – Prodir, the Luxembourgish-Italian rider had the role of domestique and did his job quite well. 

In a normal year, the Italian cycling team Amore & Vita - Prodir is able to claim a stage win at the Tour of Sibiu, as they did for example last year with Marco Tizza. But this year was everything but a normal year and World Tour teams enrolled in the race, which made it nearly impossible to show the same performance again. So, the objective of the team was to be as good as possible with Davide Appollonio for the sprints and Marco Tizza for the overall classification. To help them in their duty, there was a Luxembourgish rider: Charly Petelin. 

For Jan Petelin’s elder brother, it was the first race since 16th February, when he rode at the Trofeo Laigueglia, but did not finish. The Tour of Sibiu started with a prologue of 2.5km. Charly Petelin knew that it was one of the few occasions he had to ride on his own. So, he pushed hard, but had some bad luck. “When I made the recce of the prologue, I liked it a lot and I wanted to get a good result there. I had to start approximately 20 minutes after the first rider. The ten first had the luck to perform on dry roads, but then the rain came. So, I took the start under rain and hailstones. It was impossible to get a good time. I was really fast compared to the riders that had the same conditions. So, I was glad with my performance, even though I did not get the result I wanted”, he analysed. In the end, Petelin took the 64th position. 

The second racing day took the riders to Balea Lac and was a matter for the good climbers. Petelin was told to stay in the peloton with Tizza and Appollonio and be their domestic. Top favourite team Bora Hansgrohe made a high tempo and secured overall win with Konrad and Mühlberger. Marco Tizza finished 14th and Petelin finished with Appollonio, making sure his sprinter was not out of time limit.  

Photo: Sibiu Cycling Tour

Stage two was the last opportunity for the Luxembourgish rider to play his own card. He got the right to take the breakaway, but was again victim of bad luck. “After 3 kilometres, I was riding in the first positions as a crash occurred just in front of me and I ran into it. I damaged the fixation of my shoe. Therefore, I had to wait for the car and then give everything to get back into the peloton”, he regretted. In a very hectic stage, team Amore & Vita – Prodir made sure Marco Tizza arrived in the leading group, keeping a good overall position. 

The next stage was going to be the most important. Indeed, for the last racing day, the riders had a difficult mountain time trial to overcome. It was a kind of survival where 18 riders came in out of time limit. Charly Petelin pushed as hard as he could and took a good 70th position with more or less two minutes advantage of the time limit. In the same time, his leader Tizza entered the top 10 of the overall classification and Georg Mühlberger took advantage over his teammate Patrick Konrad.  

The final stage was still to run in the afternoon. For Davide Appollonio, who had not had the opportunity to shine so far, it was now or never. He chose ‘now’. Protected by the whole team during the race, the Italian claimed the fifth place at the sprint won by Pascal Ackermann of Bora Hansgrohe.  

94th in the general classification, Charly Petelin was satisfied with his Tour. “The team was really happy with the 5th place of Davide Appollonio in the last stage and the 9th place overall of Tizza. There was not much more we could have done, so we were quite satisfied. For me, I am happy with my Tour because I felt really well. My legs are also better now. Indeed, it is easier to improve the shape during a racing day than during a normal training”, he concluded.