Vincenzo Nibali will head lineup for Vuelta a San Juan
The Vuelta a San Juan starts today Sunday January 21st, the most important South American stage race is now in its 36th edition
>> Italian Vincenzo Nibali dropped out of the Vuelta a San Juan before the start of stage 1 after contracting gastroenteritis just before the race begins, the Bahrain-Merida team announced earlier today <<
Seven stages, one more than last year, with a route that will offer many sprint finished and a 14-kilometer individual time trial and the Queen stage with the arrival at the 2,560 meters of the Alto de Colorado, in which the riders will have to tackle a difference in height of over 1,500 meters over the last 70 km.
Vincenzo Nibali said "For some years, I have chosen Argentina for my seasonal debut. It's a good race to start with, the route is not too demanding and the weather is perfect It always brought me some luck....".
The young Mark Padun is at his official debut with the Bahrain Merida jersey: "I am very happy to be here in San Juan and to be able to run close to such experienced riders as Vincenzo and " Kosta ". My task will be to help the team and maybe try some breakaway”.
A bit of emotion also for Kanstantsín Siutsou who returns to the races after the fracture of the left femur that cost him seven months of stop. "The recovery was quick enough but I preferred to wait until 2018 to return to the competitions. I must admit I can not wait to attack my number on the team jersey”.
The Italian sprinter Niccolò Bonifazio will have different opportunities to win a stage: "In this Vuelta there are at least four sprint finishes. I worked well at home and I will try to beat strong opponents such as Fernando Gaviria and Giacomo Nizzolo”.
Team BAHRAIN MERIDA’s line up for Vuelta San Juan:
Vincenzo Nibali,
Antonio Nibali,
Mark Padun,
Niccolò Bonifazio,
Ivan Cortina,
Kanstantsín Siutsou