The Tour of Qinghai Lake ends with a sixth-place finish in the overall classification for VF Group Bardiani-CSF Faizanè. This result was achieved by Alex Tolio, who held his position in the final stage, raced at very high speeds and marked by numerous attack attempts. The rider from Treviso was the highest-ranked Italian in the standings.

Tolio’s words: “The last stage here at the Tour of Qinghai Lake is done. It was a fast day from the start, with very high speeds and intense competition for the intermediate sprints. We raced for over two hours and twenty minutes at an average of about 50 km/h. The race was very nervous, mainly due to the time bonuses up for grabs. I stayed near the front to take advantage of every chance, but with such high speed and crosswinds, it wasn’t easy. In the end, everything was decided in a sprint, and I managed to defend my sixth place in the overall standings. There were more opportunities for the pure sprinters during the race, but I’m happy with how I managed the tougher stages: good form allowed me to stay up front at the key moments.”

Also a protagonist of the day was Luca Covili, who got into a breakaway already in the middle part of the stage with a group of 13 riders. Covili tried to push the pace and keep the move alive, animating the race for several kilometers. The break was caught near the end, as the peloton reeled in the leaders just a few kilometers from the finish.

The team’s campaign in China also includes two podium finishes from Enrico Zanoncello, second in the seventh stage and third in the fourth.

FINAL CLASSIFICATION:

1.Mulubrhan Henok (ERI/XDS Astana Team) 30:05:13

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

3.Lopez Harold Martin (ECU/XDS Astana Team) a 22”

4.Callejas Edison Alejandro (COL/Petrolike) a 25”

5.Agirre Jon (SPA/Euskaltel-Euskadi) a 27”

6.Tolio Alex (ITA/VF Group Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè) a 27”

7.Caicedo Jonathan Klever (ECU/Petrolike) a 32”

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

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

10.Soto Antonio Jesus (SPA/Equipo Kern Pharma) a 42”