The first-year U23 South American impressed last week in the mountains.
Henrique Bravo wrote a small but important page of history for Brazilian cycling Sunday afternoon, when he became the first rider from this country to finish in the top ten overall at the Giro della Valle d’Aosta, one of the hardest and most important races on the U23 calendar.
The 19-year-old, who just a couple of weeks ago took silver at the ITT National Championships, came at the start part of a strong Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team and began making himself noticed at the end of the tough stage three, which took in four classified climbs and 4400 vertical meters. There, on the apparently never-ending Pont ascent, Henrique took a solid sixth, just half a minute behind the winner, making important inroads in the general classification.
One day later, the race took the peloton to the top of Breuil Cervinia, at an altitude of more than 2000 meters, and the attacks came early. Bravo, who was sitting ninth overall at the start of this last stage, put his climbing prowess to display once again and took another sixth place – a result that elevated him one place in the final rankings of the race – his best result in a stage race since joining our feeder squad.
“It was a hard race, not only because of the challenging parcours, but also because we rode it full gas from the beginning. Coming at the start, I didn’t have any goals or expectations, I was just hoping to do a good race and see what I’m capable of in the mountains that I love so much. The final two stages were the most important ones for the general classification, and I managed to surprise myself a bit – although I knew I was on a terrain I liked – and finished sixth in both of them. Now, I’m of course delighted to be in the top ten overall of this prestigious race, as it’s a result that gives me a lot of confidence for the next appointments of the season”, explained Henrique, who was joined in the top ten by Soudal Quick-Step Devo teammate Jasper Schoofs, ninth at the end of last week.
