Belgian cyclist Arne Santi, who represents the “Tarteletto-Isorex” team at the international “Baku-Khankendi” cycling race, commented on the latest stage of the competition.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the rider admitted that weather conditions created additional challenges for the peloton during the stage from Baku to Ismayilli.
“At the beginning of the race, strong crosswinds made things a bit difficult for us. After around the 40-kilometre mark, we turned right onto the main road. We already knew there would be crosswinds in that section. Since our team had taken the correct position, we had five riders in the leading group,” Santi said.
The Belgian cyclist noted that the race became much harder during the final climbs.
“Later, the group split apart on the final climbs, and the race became even more difficult for us. The final first-category climb was especially steep and demanding. For me, that was definitely the toughest part of the stage,” he added.
It should be noted that Kazakhstan’s Yevgeniy Fedorov won today’s second stage of the race from Baku to Ismayilli. On the opening day, Belarusian rider Aleksey Shnirko from China’s “Li-Ning Star” team claimed victory in the Baku-Sumgayit stage.
The UCI 2.1 category race features 24 teams representing 20 countries. The five-stage competition offers a prize fund of more than €50,000 and will conclude on May 14. The final stage of the tournament will take place in Khankendi.
