Big cheers at the Tour of Belgrade Banja Luka: Filippo Fortin wins the 3rd stage, Fabian Steininger rides to 3rd place on this day. Two Pushbikers on the podium – and the team also ensures top 10 finishes on every other race day. Fortin scores an overall 5th place in the general classification of the tour

Sometimes a victory not only brings joy and pride, but redemption. Being the first to cross the finish line, not in an immediate fight for every millimetre but with the certainty: it was enough. And thus Filippo Fortin thanked his teammates after the third stage for the work they had done for him and the victory he had needed so much.

This stage win was the highlight of a tour that was so successful overall for the Maloja Pushbikers, their sporting director Gregor Pavlic, mechanic Sam Rees and physiotherapist Sofia Jacobs. “A particularly memorable moment for me: when on the final day the support vehicles in the convoy greeted the staff members loudly in the feeding zone. Other teams have taken notice of us. We are a force to be reckoned with,” Sofia sums up afterwards.

On the first day, Filippo Fortin just missed the podium after 140 kilometres and finished fourth – arriving in Bijeljina, which he had won last year. Roy Eefting finished the opening stage in eighth place, Matias Malmberg rounded off the result for the Pushbikers with 22nd place. In the team ranking, the Pushbikers were in first place after the first day. “We set everything up for a bunch sprint for Pippo, in which he then came fourth. That’s ok for us,” said Gregor Pavlic at the time. “The first stage was very relaxed for the most part. It was quite hard for me, though, because I rode pace from the front with a rider from Team Corratec to control the group,” said Pushbiker Philip Weber.

In the following stage over 123 kilometres, the Pushbikers did not lose sight of their ambitions. Again, two of them finished in the top 10: Fortin was eighth in the stage and finished second in the sprint from his group. He was closely followed by Matias Malmberg, who came ninth. The third stage with a flat, 165-kilometre course offered Fortin, Malmberg, Eefting, Liam Bertazzo, Fabian Steininger, Philip Weber and Felix Meo the perfect conditions for a triumph. Victory for Filippo Fortin and a strong third place for Austrian Fabian Steininger. “The day was perfect My teammates worked hard and supported me until the end. I won and realized that I had really missed that feeling,” Fortin sums up.

A small victory celebration in the evening was in order, but then full concentration again on the final stage from Novi Grad to Banjaluka. The chances were good for the Pushbikers to also move up in the overall standings after Fortin was in 4th place in the GC at the time. “We fought hard, but the escapees came and were able to score bonus points” – Fortin sprinted to fourth place again at the end and reaches 5th place overall.