Binck Bank Tour. Astana's Minali sprints into top 10 at Stage 1

"It was a very fast sprint today, with the final 4 kilometers all straight until the finish. Oscar Gatto put me in the right position, but with two kilometres to go I was too early at the front of the peloton and I had to fight my way back in the wheel of other sprinters. At the end it was hard to find a gap for my sprint, I had to brake too much so it was not possible to do a good sprint. I hope for another chance at stage 3, as normally we'll have a sprint in Antwerp," Riccardo Minali said.

Stage 1 of the Binck Bank Tour, the peloton started in Heerenveen to finish in Bolsward after 177.3 kilometer of racing. The day's breakaway was not able to stay clear in the final, so there was a sprint in the streets of Bolsward, won by Fabio Jakobsen. The young sprinter Riccardo Minali took a tenth place. It was a rainy day with multiple crashes, with two Astana riders involved. First, Dmitriy Gruzdev crashed, but without serious injuries. Shortly after, Magnus Cort crashed as well, he has some scratches and finished behind the bunch.

Tomorrow the riders will face an ITT at the Binck Bank Tour, a 12.7 kilometer in Venray.