Tour of Istanbul. Alessandro Romele is second in the General Classification

Alessandro Romele finished as the runner-up in the overall classification of the Tour of Istanbul, which concluded today with an 83-kilometer flat stage. Romele secured second place overall, 16 seconds behind the winner, Mathieu Burgaudeau.

On the final stage, which took place under rainy conditions, there was a fierce fight for bonus seconds, but Astana Qazaqstan Team did everything possible to protect Romele’s second place.

With 400 meters to go, a crash occurred involving Yevgeniy Gidich and Alessandro Romele. Fortunately, there were no falls, but it did not allow them to take part in the final sprint.

“These were four incredible racing days. The team did an excellent job from the first stage and helped me a lot. Today, I did everything I could to defend my second place in the General Classification and gave my all in the finale, but unfortunately, the rain started, and in the last corner, Yevgeniy Gidich and I were close to crashing and had to stop. It’s a shame we couldn’t fight for the stage win, as we were close today. Now it’s time to go home, recover a bit, and prepare for the final races of the season. I want to thank all my teammates, the staff, and my coach Maurizio Mazzoleni for their support”, – said Alessandro Romele.

Photo credit: @Mihai Simion