Post race quotes
Post race quotes:
Stage winner and race leader Jon Aberasturi: “With two kilometers to go, I wasn’t well positioned but a rider repositioned me at the front in the last kilometer. In the last curve with 400 metres to go, I passed Mareczko on his side and I managed to launch my on the right side of the road 200 metres before the line while the others were going on the left side. I didn’t feel good during the race but the legs were normal again for sprinting at the end. This is my eighth win of the year. It makes me very happy. I won stage 1 in three races: Tour of Korea, Tour of Qinghai Lake and here. It’s important. To beat a rider like Mareczko from time to time helps for the confidence, knowing that he has beaten some of the world’s best sprinters before.”
Second placed Jakub Mareczko: “It’s a positive result. I’m demonstrating to being in good form at this time of the year. The team has work the way they had to but in the finale we didn’t find each other. From one kilometer to go, there were two curves and I remained a bit behind in the last one. That’s where [Jon] Aberasturi passed me. He also beat me at the Tour of Taihu Lake the day I finished second. He’s a good sprinter. There are more flat stages to come in this race so we as sprinters will have other occasions to do well.”
Third placed Michael Freiberg: “This is one of the highest ranked Tours I’ve raced. To get on the podium is absolutely fantastic. It comes out of a good week at the National Road Series in Australia. I’m leading the series. We wanted to have a good lead out train but it didn’t go to plan with a few crashes and a few punctures today. We’re missing Neil [Van der Ploeg] in a crash so we had to change the plan. Luckily I had a lead out man [Anthony Giacoppo] and he dropped me off with 400 metres to go. I had to sprint with maybe 350 to go. I was lucky to hold on. Aberasturi passed me very fast at about 200 metres to go. Mareczko passed me with 50m to go, it was a tight finish. We had a good run at the Tour of China I, taking second overall [with Joe Cooper]. Then with Scott Sunderland taking a stage at the Tour of China II, to come here and get a podium is fantastic.”
King of the Mountain Vitaly Buts: “It’s been a hard and fast day. After 30km we managed to break away but the peloton always kept us at thirty seconds. We’ve suffered a lot to stay away until the KOM point but at the end, luckily, I got it with the bunch right behind me. I’m happy. It has not been a breakaway for nothing. I hope to retain this jersey till the end. It becomes my goal now.”
Most combative rider Joe Cooper: “We were on a short leash. Out of four breakaway riders, two of us wanted to push on, the two others just wanted to cruise along. We never had full cooperation out there. I think the biggest gap we got was 39 seconds. It was never really enough. I tried to go for the KOM, I didn’t make it but in the next few days I want to get back in the running. Coming to this Tour for the first time, our team wanted to get as much exposure as we can. We have a really good sprinter in Freiberg, everyone else can take opportunities. We want to learn a lot from this race and hopefully come back next year and build on it.”
Best Asian rider Chen Zhiwen: “I’m not exactly a sprinter but I managed to get a good position in the sprint today [22nd]. This is my first time going on stage to receive a distinctive jersey and it’s fabulous to be honoured along with these experienced pro riders.”
