Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Northern France is hosting a cycling event - the Tour de Bretagne, which is running in the country from April 25 to May 1.

Synergy Baku Cycling Project’s member Ioannis Tamouridis finished second in the fourth stage of the tour, giving the team its second podium in the French race. The Greek rider was part of a late escape group which finished about 25 seconds ahead of the field.

An early escape group stayed away until the end of the second of the four laps of the closing circuit course. Tamouridis and two other riders got away almost immediately, and took a 22 second lead into the final lap. The laps were fast and narrow and featured an uphill finish. The trio, along with the chasing peloton, flew along at very high speed.

“We came here to prepare the legs for the Tour d’Azerbaidjan but I had in mind to try and go for the win in one stage,” Tamouridis said. “Today was a big opportunity, but it turned into another second place. I am happy about the result, though, because I see myself getting better every day for the big goal, which is the Tour d’Azerbaidjan!”

The team’s good performance was topped off with Dennis van Winden finishing ninth and Maksym Averin twelfth.

“Today we decided that the riders needed a rest because of how hard the race has been and looking towards Azerbaijan,” DS Jeremy Hunt explained. “We gambled on it coming back together, and when it did, Ioannis went with a move that stayed away.”

“I am very happy for him and like the rest of the team, it looks good for the Tour d’Azerbaidjan,” he said.

Ioannis became Greek national champion more than 30 times already in all disciplines and all categories. He competed with the Greek cycling team Sp Tableware in between 2009 and 2012.

The international stage race 2015 Tour d’Azerbaidjan will be held on May 6-10, 2015. At least 24 teams from around the world will tackle the competition. The line-up so far features four Professional Continental teams, 16 Continental teams, and four national teams.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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