Astana's Syritsa 2nd at the start of Baku-Khankendi Tour
XDS Astana Team rider Gleb Syritsa finished second in the first stage of the Baku-Khankendi Tour, which concluded with a mass sprint, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Belarusian rider Aliaksei Shnyrko of the Li Ning Star team won the 160.2-kilometer stage from Baku to Sumgait. Belgian Timothy Dupont, riding for Tarteletto-Isorex, took third place.
“The team did a really great job today, everyone gave 100%. Ramis (Dinmukhametov) and Alisher (Zhumakan) controlled the race at the front throughout the day, while in the finale Aaron Gate and Yevgeniy Fedorov delivered me into a good position. Everything was going according to plan,” Syritsa said after the finish.
The rider said he made a small mistake, as he had misjudged the distance to the finish line and started his sprint a bit too late.
“The finish was slightly uphill, which made the finale more difficult, so it was important to calculate the effort precisely. In the end I finished second – not bad, but of course I wanted to win. There are still a few more opportunities ahead, so we’ll try again,” he added.
The Baku-Khankendi multiday race will last through May 14.
As reported before, XDS Astana Team rider Thomas Silva on Saturday secured a historic victory on Stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia.
