The Italian rider repeated his Esanatoglia feat by outclassing International competition in the UCI Junior Series race in La Thuile, opener of Internazionali d’Italia Series round 4. The new overall leader saw off French riders Hemon and Corniglion
Elian Paccagnella is on a winning streak and shows no signs of stopping. Following his success in Esanatoglia, the talent from the Junior Team Südtirol has claimed victory in the UCI Junior Series race in La Thuile, the opener of the fourth stage of Internazionali d’Italia Series on Saturday, June 3rd.
After a first lap led by a small group by short measure, and in which home rider Gabriel Borre (KTM Protek Elettrosystem) suffered a broken rim while passing through the new “The King” rock garden, Paccagnella took control from the second lap. He first caught up with Sofian Corniglion (France) and Jonas King (Germany), and then distanced himself from them by half a minute in the third lap.
From that point on, the South Tyrolean rider managed the race with ease, displaying full confidence in his well-known technical skills, now also supported by consistency. That’s not a case that he also took over the Internazionali d’Italia Series leader’s jersey with one race remaining.
“Winning a stage in the UCI Junior Series was one of the goals for my season, and I’m happy to have achieved it here in La Thuile, on such a beautiful and technical course,” commented Paccagnella at the finish line. “I arrived here a week ago to prepare and get accustomed to the altitude. I struggled a bit in the first lap, but from the second lap I realized I was gaining time on the downhill sections, so I started pushing harder. Once I took the lead, I maintained my pace until the end.”
Behind him, the French riders Julien Hemon and Sofian Corniglion claimed second and third place respectively. Italy’s Gabriel Borre finished fourth and could have possibly aimed for more if not for his issue in the opening lap. Swede Anton Unger rounded out the podium positions. Diego Milan (ASD Rock Bike Team), the former leader of the Internazionali d’Italia Series, finished in tenth place.
