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The Synergy Baku Cycling Project is sending its strongest team ever to the Tour d’Azerbaidjan scheduled for May 4-8. The Azerbaijani team will look to improve on its third place overall finish from last year in its home race, Azerbaijan Cycling Federation reports.

Matej Mugerli and Kirill Pozdnyakov will go into the race as team leaders, with Matija Kvasina ready to move in if needed. Mugerli brought in the team’s first wins, with the Porec Trophy and a stage at the Istrian Spring Trophy in March. Pozdnyakov put in a strong showing at the Tour of Croatia in support of Kvasina, who won the overall race.

Azerbaijan’s Maksym Averin will be the team’s man for the sprints. Ioannis Tamouridis and Azerbaijani rider Elchin Asadov will ride in support of the others and seek their chances in escape groups.

The five-stage Tour d’Azerbaidjan travels from the capital city of Baku on the Caspian Sea to the mountains in the winter sports resort of Gabala, and back to Baku. It contains both flat and mountain stages.

Elchin Asadov, commenting on the race stated : “The Tour d’Azerbaidjan is my home race and I have trained very, very well! And I hope that luck will be with us and we will succeed!”

Maksym Averin, for his part, stated that the goal is to win home race. “My personal goal is the green jersey!” he added.

“Finally the Tour d’Azerbaijan is close. For a whole year I have been waiting for this moment, to visit Azerbaijan and to try some local food and specialities. As for the race we have proven that our form is at top level and now we have even more motivation, since the Tour d’Azerbaidjan is our main goal for this part of season. We just pray that this good luck and team spirit keep on working for us in the race,” saidMatija Kvasina.

Matej Mugerli believes that after winning the GC and the team ranking in the Tour of Croatia, the whole team is ready for the Tour d’Azerbaidjan.

“We need just a little luck and then we can do a successful race,” he added.

Kirill Pozdnyakov, for his part noted the importance of Tour d’Azerbaidjan.

“For me ,it's been first big goal of the year and I look forward to racing and again being in beautiful Baku city! I want to give all of myself for this race and this is the best way to thank our sponsors and people who give us opportunity to make our dreams come true!”

Ioannis Tamouridis, said : “I am very happy to participate with Synergy Baku another year at our home race, the Tour d’Azerbaidjan. We have a very strong team for every terrain and although last year we had excellent results, this year we can be better. For me personally, I have felt that I am coming into peak form and I will certainly go for stage wins and help our GC guys.”


“The Tour d’Azerbaidjan is our first important goal in 2016, and the guys are in perfect condition. I don’t want to talk about results. We are ready, that is the most important thing. A race at home is always nice but on the other hand there is a lot of pressure,” said DS Andrej Hauptman.

Team manager David McQuaid, commenting on the race said: “A common cliche in sport is that you are only as good as your last performance Our team comes to the 2016 Tour d’Azerbaidjan buoyed by our last performance. The terrific results in Croatia, matched by two podiums in Serbia, see our guys heading into our home race riding the crest of a wave. They are in fantastic shape, the motivation is at an all-time high and I do not see that they will fear any rival team on the start line. It will be a super five days of racing and I have no doubt that the Baku colours will be very much to the fore.

We hope to climb the podium, and the guys will give their best.”

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