Clément Russo: "Almeria, a race for sprinters"
The Arkéa-Samsic team will focus on Dan McLay for the Clasica Almeria, a race that usually crowns a sprinter.
Pre-race
“It will be the second time in my career that I will race the Clasica Almeria. The course is quite simple, it is indeed a race with usually a royal sprint at the finish. We will have a great card to play with Dan McLay. This race is divided in two parts: a road section and a circuit around Almeria. I remember that the way back to Almeria has some seaside sections and then some city sections that are quite winding. It is therefore important to be well placed at these moments. This will be important at the beginning of the sprint. The aim will be to take our sprinter as well as possible. I will have to be a pilot fish. I will have to launch Dan well so that we can get the best possible result on this beautiful event of the Iberian calendar”.
“The Tour Down Under was a great experience. I learned a lot, and it opened my eyes to the road ahead and the work to be done. Kévin, Élie and Hugo gave me precious advice and helped me to see the mistakes I made during the race and the things I did correctly. I will now go on to the Clasica Almeria. In order to get a feel for this race, I started to watch some previous editions on the internet. I also studied the course. There are a few bumps at the beginning and then it’s relatively flat, so it’s probably for sprinters. My objective this year is to discover as many races as possible, with different profiles, which will allow me to gain as much experience as possible. I know that sometimes I will have to endure, but that is how the job will come in, and that I will be able to measure what kind of rider I really am”.
“Nacer Bouhanni will not be lining up in Almeria as initially planned. Our sprinter resumed training last week following his crash on the Trofeo Ciclista de Mallorca in Palma, but he is still too young to compete again. The Clasica Almeria is a race that usually suits sprinters. Our asset in this race will be Dan McLay. We will do everything possible with a strong group around him so that he can do the best sprint possible”.