Astana rider Andrea Guardini had his clearest shot yet at a stage win in the Presidential Tour of Turkey today, finishing towards the very front of the peloton at the end of the seventh stage to Izmir.
The young Italian avoided a big crash on a tight bend inside the final kilometre, with that incident preventing others such as Gerald Ciolek (MTN Qhubeka) and double stage winner Andre Greipel (Lotto Belisol) from sprinting for the victory.
However Guardini was unable to get past Marcel Kittel (Argos Shimano) before the line, and afterwards said that another rider had hampered his progress.
“In the last three hundred metres another rider cut my line after we slowed down, and I was already three positions back from Kittel when he started his sprint. I had to work and work and work to get to the line. But I'm happy about the second place, because it is a reward to my teammates Ruslan and Jacopo who worked so hard to keep me at the front in the last part of the race.”
Guardini moved to the Astana team this year and is keen to clock up as much success as possible with the team prior to what could be his first Tour de France this year.
Today’s result is his highest placing since taking stage seven of the Tour de Langkawi in February.
Directeur sportif Dmitriy Sedoun said that the riders were allowed choose their own tactics during the stage. “It seemed to work in their favour,” he concluded, “and this really lifts our motivation for the final stage.”
The 2.HC event concludes tomorrow in Istanbul with a flat, fast stage that should suit Guardini.