Victor Koretzky conquers the throne of the Cathedral at the Shimano Supercup Massi in Banyoles

Victor Koretzky takes the victory in the Shimano Supercup Massi de Banyoles. The Frenchman broke the race with an unbeatable pace and dominated solo without anyone presenting a serious alternative to the win. Sarrou finished second and Carod took the third position from Dascalu at the last moment.

Koretzky conquers the Shimano Supercup Massi de Banyoles for the fifth time

The race started under the clouds of Banyoles with the well-known absence of Peter Sagan. The clean start had some minor clashes that tensed the peloton but ended without major consequences. The big names appeared from the beginning and Jordan Sarrou took the lead of the day, followed by Koretzky, Schuermans, Dascalu, and company. However, Schwarzbauer was the one who, in a display of his usual brave and unapologetic style, closed the first lap at the front.

A long line of cyclists - including Valero, Cullell, and Campos - remained hooked behind the German's wake, busy in the complex task of setting the pace at the front.

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Schwarzbauer's pedal strokes began to take their toll when the riders faced the steepest ramps of the Catalan circuit. The course hardened without the leader's quadriceps losing explosiveness and the race broke apart. Schwarzbauer set a pace that only a few could match; Sarrou, Koretzy, Dascalu, De Froidmont, Zanotti, and List resisted the onslaught, while the rest succumbed and held on as best they could.

After passing through the finish line, Valero and Carod joined the escapees and the leading group was formed by nine riders. Koretzky took the lead and tensions returned. The freshness of the Frenchman made him an authoritative leader who allowed himself the luxury of forcing the others to increase the pace.

The demands of Koretzy were too much for his travel companions and he secured the lead with a solo ride. The gap of seconds began to widen as the chasing group fell apart and was reduced to Schwarzbauer, Dascalu, and Sarrou.

Koretzky set an unreachable pace that allowed him to pull away from the rest of the contenders for victory. 15 seconds. Although the trio led the chase, behind them the distances were small and the groups scattered without clear boundaries. In fact, Carod was able to latch onto the wheel of the three pursuers, while List rode alone ahead of Valero, Schuermans, and De Froidmont.

Koretzky's legs continued to cling to the lead, Sarrou broke away from the newly formed quartet and tried to hunt him down with no other company than the revamped BMC machine. Sarrou's will came up against the brutal performance of Koretzy, who pushed on the pedals to increase the lead over his compatriot to nearly 25 seconds.

The status quo of the race remained unchanged for the next few kilometers. The first two positions seemed clear: Sarrou kept the pulse and, despite withstanding Koretzky's jolts and closing the hemorrhage of seconds to which he had been subjected by his compatriot, the pace of the leader took its toll and he began to lose time in the final part.

Behind, the battle for third place had several alterations, although it was Dascalu and Carod who joined forces to slightly separate themselves from Schwarzbauer and Schuermans. On the last lap Dascalu managed to gain several meters on Carod.

Koretzky continued to pedal with the same authority he had shown so far and performed a wheelie to seal the victory in the Shimano Supercup Massi de Banyoles. The Specialized Factory Racing rider starts the season in style with the fifth triumph in the Cathedral - no one has reached this figure -, adding to the successes he achieved in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021.

Meanwhile, Sarrou secured a solid second position; while Carod recovered from Dascalu's move and overtook him at the last moment to sneak onto a podium with a clear French accent.

Results Shimano Supercup Massi de Banyoles 2024 - Men

1. Victor Koretzky 1h 25' 59"
2. Jordan Sarrou +36"
3. Titouan Carod +48"
4. Vlad Dascalu +51"
5. Luca Schwarzbauer +1'07"
6. Jens Schuermans +1'26"
7. David Valero +1'42"
8. David List +1'50"
9. Pierre De Froidmont +2'07"
10. Juri Zanotti +2'10"