More than 10 breakaway groups, nobody would have expected that from the youngest team before the Tour. The team from the German bike manufacturer from Raubling was not only courageous, they also showed themselves day after day with attacks in the breakaway groups. They were able to collect valuable points for the sprint jersey as well as for the mountain jersey.
The highlight of the breakaway attempts was certainly the fight for the stage win by Karel Vacek. At only 22 years old, stage 7 was his big day. Due to an early attack from Team corratec, almost as usual,showed up in front. But as the race progressed it became clear that they would keep their lead over the peloton to the finishing line. The final climb up to Campo Imperatore was a difficult one and Team Jumbo and Team Ineos looked at it with too much respect even from the peloton. At the finish, Vacek only had to concede defeat to rider Davide Bais, from Team Eolo-Kometa (run by former Tour de France winner Alberto Condator).
Nevertheless, it was a great moment in the history of team corratec. "The morale of our young riders is great. Here they compete every day without thinking about the suffering and pain of the next race day. True to our corratec motto - We are young, wild and free. Exactly the attitude that we and also Konrad Irlbacher as CEO wanted to see from our team", says Steffen Thum, who accompanied the team on behalf of corratec during the three weeks in Italy.
Courage is rewarded and the reward came during the tour in Italy. Not in the form of a stage win, but with a direct invitation to the Tour of Germany 2023. Here the organisers hope that the Young Wild Ones will also bring excitement and variety to the race. Through early attacks in the stages, but also through their overall appearance. The guys from Raubling are a bit different, they don't have the budget of a big Pro Tour, but they are real and maybe show the new direction of cycling.
Whether it was the fact they were accompanied by mountain bike pro Dan Noyola, who reported on the team for the manufacturer's own Instagram channel www.instagram.com/corratecbikes as well as eurosport.de. Or the special edition of the CCT EVO giro bike painted especially for the Giro. One thing is for sure: Team corratec does not symbolise boring everyday routine, but brings a new, breath of fresh air and still remains true to its core values of integrity and classic cycling.
