Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Maksym Averin brought the Synergy Baku Cycling Project the first win of the 2014 season by winning the Porec Trophy in Croatia.

It is also Averin's first victory in his first race for his new team.

The Ukrainian rider won the mass sprint after 149 kilometers.

"I am really, really happy," Averin said. "This is the first time in my life that I have done well in my first race of the season! After all the stress of the past few weeks, I didn't really expect anything today," he said.

Team manager David McQuaid expressed his delight for Averin, saying, "He is a dedicated athlete."

Sport Director Stefan Rucker was not particularly surprised. "Even I felt at our team meeting yesterday that the guys were eager to perform better than the last two races. Today, they covered every move, and especially Connor (McConvey) and Philip (Lavery) worked their tails off. In the end, Maksym was in the perfect position for the uphill sprint!"

"It was a perfect day," he concluded. "A nice, sunny, warm day on the Adriatic coast and a win! You can't ask for more!"

The win has a special meaning for Averin; he is a Ukrainian citizen and lives in a country that has been undergoing political turmoil recently. The country's problems make it rough for all of its citizens, and he has not been able to train properly, as there have been times when he was afraid to leave his house.

Added to that, he had some visa issues. He flew to Baku, where fortunately the Azerbaijan Federation helped him get the necessary visa. All of this was so stressful that he did not race in the Umag Trophy as planned, but put in a block of motor pacing. "And that proved right today!" Rucker said.