Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of Bahrain Olympic Committee, hailed BAHRAIN MERIDA Cycling Team’s victory in the second stage of Paris-Nice Tour, the first of its kind feat since the team’s launch earlier this year. HH Shaikh Nasser asserted that this accomplishment will boost the team’s confidence and efforts to record more successes, praising the team’s efforts in France, which allowed it to emerge victorious in the race.
Shaikh Nasser remarks come on the occasion of the first-place finish earned by MERIDA Cycling Team’s sprinter Sonny Colbrelli in the Paris-Nice Tour. “The team began making its way to victories and topping podiums. This was a true start for the team. Paris-Nice Tour has been widely followed since its introduction and is considered one of the key races in the World Tour. We are jubilant to hold high the Kingdom’s flag, in such competition,” Shaikh Nasser said.
“I am very happy with this achievement after an important stage that witnessed torrential rains and high winds. The team proved its capability to overcome any challenge towards achieving great results, through which we want to promote Bahrain across famous arenas and in various fields,” Shaikh Nasser added.
The second stage of Paris-Nice Tour was a hard and challenging event for all the riders competing against each other and the rains and winds. The temperature also dropped to 4 degrees C. Colbrelli was very calm during the race, always keeping to the middle of any group and waiting for the race to develop to an ideal scenario for him. And so it did. He grabbed the opportunity and won his first World Tour title and brought the first European victory to the BAHRAIN MERIDA Cycling Team.
Commenting after the race, he said: “It’s such a special day. My first World Tour win, the biggest win of my career. I’m really happy. It has been a hard stage, with torrential rains and a lot of echelons. I made a great sprint. I feared they would catch me in the final metres, an I tried to resist. I was riding at Paris-Nice for the first time, to prepare for Milano-Sanremo, because I would like to change my approach to that important race, but now I’m here, and there will also be other stages that suit me, I will focus on Milano Sanremo after this race.”
Moreover, Philippe Mauduit, the sports director of the team, added: ” When I saw Sonny and Luka coming back from the group; I said immediately that we have to be focused for the final. And after slightly modified tactics Sonny finished first! For the upcoming Stages – with this weather, we will see what happens day by day. Today was a happy day, yesterday not so much, and we will see what tomorrow brings.”