Enrico Zanoncello finished second in the seventh stage of the Tour of Qinghai Lake, from Gonghe to Haiyan.The stage win went to Petr Rikunov, who edged out the VF Group Bardiani-CSF Faizanè rider at the finish, with Henok Mulubrhan taking third place and claiming the overall leader’s jersey.

For Zanoncello, it’s the second podium in this edition of the Chinese race, following his third place in stage four.

These were his words:
“There’s definitely a bit of bitterness. When you come that close to winning, it’s normal to feel disappointed — especially because I had good legs and the team did an excellent job. The sprint felt perfect, though there might have been a bit too much headwind, and Rikunov managed to overtake me in the last three meters. I really wanted to repay the team with a win. I would have been happy to win today, but we’ll try again tomorrow.”

The general classification remains unchanged for Alex Tolio, who holds on to sixth overall and is currently the top Italian rider.

Tomorrow features the eighth and final stage of the race.

RESULTS – STAGE 7 – TOMQ:

1. RIKUNOV Petr Chengdu – DYC Cycling Team – 3:04:46
2. ZANONCELLO Enrico – VF Group – Bardiani CSF – Faizanè ”
3. MULUBRHAN Henok – XDS Astana Team ”
4. GATE Aaron – XDS Astana Team ”
5. GROSU Eduard-Michael – Huansheng – Vonoa – Taishan Sport Team ”
6. SERRANO Javier – Team Polti VisitMalta ”
7. SILVA Guillermo Thomas – Caja Rural – Seguros RGA ”
8. FERNÁNDEZ Miguel Ángel – Equipo Kern Pharma ”
9. PRONSKIY Vadim – Terengganu Cycling Team ”
10. CRESCIOLI Ludovico – Team Polti VisitMalta ”

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION- TOMQ:
1. MULUBRHAN Henok – XDS Astana Team 27:40:18
2. SILVA Guillermo Thomas – Caja Rural – Seguros RGA  1”
3. LÓPEZ Harold Martín – XDS Astana Team 20”
4. CALLEJAS Edison Alejandro – Petrolike 23”
5. AGIRRE Jon – Euskaltel – Euskadi 25”
6. TOLIO Alex – VF Group – Bardiani CSF – Faizanè 25”
7. CAICEDO Jonathan Klever – Petrolike 32”
8. ALLENO Clément – Burgos Burpellet BH 34”
9. SOTO Antonio Jesús – Equipo Kern Pharma 40”
10. CRESCIOLI Ludovico – Team Polti VisitMalta ”