Trek-Segafredo men hungry for season restart

A strong team is fielded when the season resumes at the Vuelta a Burgos this week and the men hope to continue their early-season success.

Following in the footsteps of their female counterparts who resumed racing last Wednesday, the Trek-Segafredo men will be pinning their numbers on for the Vuelta a Burgos, starting Tuesday, July 28th. The Spanish stage race is not accustomed to such a star-studded start list, but the rescheduled calendar has made the Vuelta a Burgos the focus of the cycling world starved of racing since March. It is also uniquely placed as one of the few stage races in the build-up to the Tour de France, set to depart from Nice on August 29th. The five stages feature a mixture of sprint stages and mountain stages to test the climbers, perfect for all riders looking to tune-up for their future goals.

While the route is quite regular, the situation at the race will be anything but. As one of the first major races held under the strict Covid-19 protocols, it will be an unusual setting for riders and staff alike. The first stage is set for a traditional sprint with only an early first-category climb standing between the fast men and an uphill gallop at the Mirador del Castillo back in Burgos. Stage two and four are also likely to end in sprints, though an uphill ramp just inside the final 10km on the former could be used to spring a surprise.

It’s clear we have a super-strong team selected for sprints on both the flat and uphill. We have big ambitions and goals in the sprint stages.

Two mountain-top finishes come on stages three and five, which will see the climbers battle it out on demanding uncategorized HC ascents for stage and overall victory.

Trek-Segafredo will be arriving with a team mostly built around sprinting, except for neo-pro Juan Pedro López, who will have the opportunity to go for a result in the mountains. Matteo Moschetti will be returning after a long recovery from a broken femur he sustained earlier in the year at the Étoile de Bessèges. Before the crash, the Italian sprinter had already notched two wins at the Challenge Mallorca race series.

Matteo winning the Trofeo Ses Salines Campos Porreres Felanitx, part of the Mallorca Challenge, in January 2020.

Moschetti has already enjoyed success at the Vuelta a Burgos and is cannot wait for the chance to sprint again: “I’m really looking forward to start racing again in Burgos. I have super nice memories there because I won my first race as a professional rider in this race two years ago. It was a great race, and I’m excited to be back. This year, it’s more significant as it is the first one after this period, so it will be nice to be back there and be racing with the team again.

“For me, my recovery from my crash has gone well, but I don’t know how my shape is yet, so this will be a good test. I hope that I’ll be good, and I’ll hopefully give it a go in the sprints. We have a strong team, so if my shape isn’t up to scratch yet, then I will happily work for my teammates.”

World Champion Mads Pedersen added: “I just want to race again. I’m going there to race and to be ready for the next races. I think we can do well, but everyone is super motivated, and it’s the first race for almost the whole peloton. I don’t know what to expect, but we’re racing to win.”

Mads Pedersen leads during Stage 6 at the Tour Down Under.

Like the rest of the cycling world, Sports Director Grégory Rast expressed how excited the team is to be racing again: “The riders and the staff are very much looking forward to going back to business, finally with a goal of racing. We can’t wait.

“It’s clear we have a super-strong team selected for sprints on both the flat and uphill. We have big ambitions and goals in the sprint stages. There are also two mountain-top finishes, which will be López’s time to shine. For him, it’s good to have this chance without any pressure to show something. It’s a nice opportunity for him to go for a good result.”

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Line-up for Vuelta a Burgos: