The inaugural edition of the Colorado Classic wrapped up on Sunday (August 13) as UAE Team Emirates’ rider Vegard Stake Laengen finished ninth in the overall General Classification.
The race was won by Italian Manuel Senni (BMC Racing Team) who claimed the overall lead, finishing 2:21 minutes ahead of Norwegian Vegard Stake Laengen.
The race consisted of four stages, with all four of those having unique challenges including numerous high altitude climbs with winding routes – varying from 1,580 metres to 3,100 metres.
Commenting on the performance of the team, sporting director Mario Scirea said: “The team was competitive throughout the race especially in the most demanding stages. The racing was aggressive and that helped to maximise exposure for our sponsors. Laengen successfully defended his position in the top ten of the General Classification to the very end placing ninth overall.”
Meanwhile in Europe, UAE Team Emirates finished racing at the BinckBank Tour on August 13 – the only multiple day race that crosses through both Netherlands and Belgium.
The race witnessed a strong performance from 28-year-old Slovenian, UAE Team Emirates’ rider Marko Kump who placed second in the final sprint of stage four.
Daniele Righi, sporting director, said: “We were close to victory following Kump’s solid performance in stage four of the race. He crossed the line in second place in the massive sprint. Winning the stage would have been a great reward for the team as a whole and a testament to the hard work they put in supporting each other. Unfortunately, we did not succeed in achieving a top GC result.”
UAE Team Emirates will next race at the third and final Grand Tour of the season – Vuelta a España from August 19 t0 September 10, as well as at the EuroEyes Cyclassics Hamburg on Sunday, August 20.
FINAL GENERAL CLASSIFICATION RESULTS FOR COLORADO CLASSIC
1) Manuel Senni (Ita) BMC Racing Team 12:00:35
2) Serghei Tvetcov (Rom) Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis 00:00:15
3) Alex Howes (USA) Cannondale-Drapac Pro Cycling Team 00:00:31
9) Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) Team UAE Emirates 00:02:21