The winners of Stage 1 of the "Baku-Khankendi" Azerbaijan Cycling Race, a category 2.1 event of the International Cycling Union (UCI), have been determined. The cyclists competing in 24 teams started from “Sea Breeze”, covered a distance of 159.3 kilometers, and crossed the finish line in the city of Sumgayit.
The stage winner was determined by photo finish – Alexey Shnirko, a member of the continental team “Li Ning Star” of the People's Republic of China, took the 1st place with a result of 3 hours, 30 minutes, 2 seconds. Gleb Syritsa, a cyclist from Kazakhstan's “XDS Astana” World Tour team, was 2nd, and Timothé Dupont, a member of the Belgian continental club “Tarteletto-Isorex”, showed the 3rd result. Awards were presented to the distinguishing cyclists by Zakir Farajov, the Head of the Sumgayit City Executive Power, and Sahib Alakbarov, the First Vice-President of the Azerbaijan Cycling Federation and the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the "Baku-Khankendi" Azerbaijan Cycling Race.
In addition to winning the stage, Shnirko also took the lead in the general classification, securing the blue jersey presented by “Silkway West Airlines”. He also became the owner of the green jersey intended for the best sprinter, presented by “Sea Breeze”. These jerseys were presented to him by the honorary guest of the race, the winner of the London-2012 Summer Olympic Games in road cycling, Kazakhstani Alexander Vinokurov.
Jorben Lauryssen, a cyclist of the Belgian club “Tarteletto-Isorex”, won the red mountain leader’s jersey presented by Azerbaijan Airlines. Ksawier Garnek, a member of the Polish continental team “Mazowsze Serce Polska”, obtained the white jersey presented by “Azvirt” and awarded to the best young cyclist. These jerseys were presented to the athletes by Fikrat Huseynov, the Executive Vice-President of the Azerbaijan Cycling Federation.
In tomorrow's Stage 2, the cyclists will start from “Sea Breeze” and cover a distance of 193.3 km to Ismayilli. Distinguished by its more challenging profile, this stage includes 3 mountain climbs and 2 sprint classifications.
