Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team takes on the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana in European race debut

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Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team takes on the Volta a La Comunitat Valenciana

Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team will show its colours for the very first time in Europe this week at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana which starts this Wednesday, February 1st in Orihuela, Spain.

31 January 2023

The UCI 2.1 race offers up a total of five hard stages that take place in the Costa Blanca region in southern Spain and Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team will lineup with a versatile seven-rider roster.

Italian sprinter Matteo Moschetti, who won a stage in the 2022 edition of the race, will make his debut for the team with high hopes and a strong support in the likes of countrymen Nicolò Parisini, Antonio Puppio and Filippo Conca. Australian Damien Howson will test himself on the hillier stages and aim to secure a good GC standing. All-rounders Swedish Tobias Ludvigsson and Belgian Tom Devriendt complete the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team squad for the Spanish race.

DS Alex Sans Vega is optimistic that the team will race competitively and be in the hunt for good results in all stages.

“This edition of Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana will be significantly harder than in the previous years. Even the supposedly sprint stages aren’t easy, with climbs not very far from the finish. This will force the sprinters to put in a good effort to go over those climbs and try to be in contention in the finale. It’s going to be a challenge but we’re confident. We’ll support Matteo Moschetti and try to give him the opportunity to fight for the win in the stages that end in a sprint. Hopefully, we will get a result with him. This is our first race in Europe and it’s important that we create a strong dynamic riding as a team. In terms of GC we will back Damien Howson,” said Alex Sans Vega, DS at Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.

Focused & Motivated

Matteo Moschetti is looking to hit the ground running in 2023 and, similarly as he has done in the past, kickstart the season with a win. Despite a very challenging parcours the Italian fast man believes there might be an opportunity or two for a bunch sprint finale and if that happens he wants to be in contention.

“Our main goal for this race is to bring home a stage win. It won’t be easy as all stages are quite hilly, however I’m really eager and focused on the first stage. My form is good and hopefully I will get the opportunity to fight for a top result there,” said Moschetti. “I have great memories from this race as I won a stage there in the last edition and I would be really happy if I can repeat that this year, with this new team. I’m super motivated and looking forward to racing with my new colleagues. This will be our first opportunity to try and fine-tune our sprint lead out. We worked really hard at our training camp and we have a great spirit so let’s see if we can translate that into results on the road!”

Chance for the Sprinters?

The Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana kicks off in Orihuela with an 189km hilly stage that concludes in Altea. Stage 2 will be a mountainous affair with the peloton taking on no less than seven categorised climbs over 178.2 kms, including the uphill finish in Alto de Pinos in Benissa. On the third day the peloton will race from Bétera to Sagunto over an hilly course that ends with slight downhill finish. 3557m of climbing are on the cards on stage 4 that starts in Burriana and ends in the the cat 2 climb to Cova Santa in Altura. The race concludes on Sunday with a flatter stage that might favour a select sprint finale in Valencia.

Alex Sans Vega and Rik Reinerink will be the Sports Directors for the race.