Filippo Fiorelli, a 1994-born rider of VF Group Bardiani-CSF Faizanè, claimed the purple jersey at the Giro d’Abruzzo. Over four days of racing, the Sicilian rider achieved two podium finishes (both 2nd place) and two more top-10 results. Confirming his excellent form, Fiorelli finished today’s final stage in fourth place, moving up to fifth in the overall classification. VF Group Bardiani-CSF Faizanè also won the team classification.

Fiorelli commented:“In today’s finale, at one point I saw a chance to go for the stage win, even though we knew it wouldn’t be easy. In any case, bringing home the purple jersey is a great personal satisfaction. It was one of our goals for the week, and achieving it is a source of real pride. We started the race a bit short on points, so every placement and every sprint was crucial. The points we earned over these days are really important for us—as a team and for my individual ranking as well.I want to sincerely thank my teammates: without their daily support, this jersey wouldn’t have been possible. After last year’s purple jersey at the Giro d’Italia, I’ve developed a taste for it… and I really hope to wear it again in other races!”

RESULTS – GIRO D’ABRUZZO – STAGE 4:

1 Oliveira Ivo UAE Team Emirates-XRG 03:58:49

2 Bax Sjoerd Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team + 00

3 Bortoluzzi Giovanni General Store-Essegibi-F.Ili Curia + 12

4 Fiorelli Filippo VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè + 12

5 Crescioli Ludovico Team Polti VisitMalta + 12

6 Macias Cesar Petrolike + 12

7 Covi Alessandro UAE Team Emirates-XRG + 12

8 Fancellu Alessandro JCL Team Ukyo + 12

9 Dati Tommaso Biesse-Carrera Premac + 12

10 Conti Valerio Solution Tech-Vini Fantini + 12

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION:

1 Zimmermann Georg Intermarché-Wanty 15:06:08

2 de la Cruz David Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team + 11

3 Torres Pablo UAE Team Emirates-XRG + 18

4 Rondel Mathys Tudor Pro Cycling Team + 34

5 Fiorelli Filippo VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè + 50

6 Brenner Marco Tudor Pro Cycling Team + 50

7 Covi Alessandro UAE Team Emirates-XRG + 56

8 Fancellu Alessandro JCL Team Ukyo + 01:07

9 Tercero Fernando Team Polti VisitMalta + 01:18

10 Howson Damien Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team + 01:23