XDS Astana's Max Kanter finishes second at Belgian one-day race
Rider of XDS Astana Team, Max Kanter, took second place at the Belgian one-day race Omloop van het Houtland. The race ended in a sprint, in which Kanter yielded only to the current European champion, Tim Merlier, Kazinform News Agency cites the Team's press service.
“It was a hard and unpredictable day, partly because of crosswind sections. Ivan Smirnov and Gleb Syritsa were always close by, protecting me, so I was able to save enough energy for the finale. In the last two laps, attacks started from the peloton, which were difficult to control. Yevgeniy Fedorov made a good attempt, so while he was in the breakaway, I stayed calmly in the group. Then Cees Bol tried. In the end, in the finish, Gleb pulled me forward, after which I tried to find the right wheel for my jump in the last 200 meters. I did all I could in the sprint and finished second”, said Max Kanter.
XDS Astana Team was very active in the final of the race, first with a powerful attack by Kazakhstan champion Yevgeniy Fedorov. When that attempt was neutralized, Cees Bol attacked. He was ahead twice, and in the end, he was caught only 1.5 km from the finish.
Earlier, the team delivered a successful performance at the Italian one-day race Giro della Romagna: Christian Scaroni claimed his fifth victory of the season after a solo attack on the final climb.