Alex Tolio finished sixth in the sixth stage of the Tour of Qinghai Lake, staying with the front group on the decisive climb of the Luohe Pass. Showing great composure in following the attacks from the top riders, he was part of a select group of seven who contested the stage win in a sprint, crossing the line with the same time as stage winner Mulubrhan. Thanks to this strong performance, Tolio also moved up to sixth place in the general classification, now just 24 seconds behind the yellow jersey, firmly in contention for a top result.

His words:”I’m satisfied with my performance. It was a long and demanding day, 230 km always above 3,000 meters of altitude. The start was calm, but in the last 60-70 km the race got tough, with crosswinds, tension, and several crashes—which I luckily avoided by staying near the front. My teammates helped position me well for the final climb, and there I managed to stay with the best. At the top, there were eight of us, and we worked together until the finish. I tried to launch my sprint with 300 meters to go, but I was out of energy after the effort on the climb and ended up sixth. Still, it’s a positive result that gives me confidence for the upcoming stages.”

RESULTS-SIXTH STAGE-TOUR OF MAGNIFICENT QINGHAI:

1.Mulubrhan Henok (ERI/XDS Astana Team) 4:59:56

2.Silva Guillermo Thomas (URU/Caja Rural – Seguros RGA) s.t.

3.Lopez Harold Martin (ECU/XDS Astana Team) s.t.

4.Agirre Jon (SPA/Euskaltel-Euskadi) s.t.

5.Callejas Edison Alejandro (COL/Petrolike) s.t.

6.Tolio Alex (ITA/VF Group Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè) s.t.

7.Murguialday Jokin (SPA/Euskaltel-Euskadi) a 3”

8.Rikunov Petr (RUS/Chengdu DYC Cycling Team) a 15”

9.Umba Santiago (COL/XDS Astana Team) a 15”

10.Alleno Clement (FRA/Burgos-Burpellet-BH) a 15”

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION:

1.Mulubrhan Henok (ERI/XDS Astana Team) 4:59:56

2.Silva Guillermo Thomas (URU/Caja Rural – Seguros RGA) a 4”

3.Lopez Harold Martin (ECU/XDS Astana Team) a 19”

4.Agirre Jon (SPA/Euskaltel-Euskadi) a 24”

5.Callejas Edison Alejandro (COL/Petrolike) a 24”

6.Tolio Alex (ITA/VF Group Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè) a 24”

7.Caicedo Jonathan Klever (ECU/Petrolike) a 31”

8.Alleno Clement (FRA/Burgos-Burpellet-BH) a 36”

9.Soto Antonio Jesus (SPA/Equipo Kern Pharma) a 39”

10.Crescioli Ludovico (ITA/Team Polti VisitMalta) a 39”