With a very gusty wind blowing, the first three cyclists to reach the finish line were: A. Konychevas, Estonian Raitas Armas representing the Lithuanian “Energus” team, and Magnus Machholdt from the “Reffe Co: Play Giant Store” team – this was the exact order in which the athletes finished the race. The biggest star of the competition, two-time Olympic and five-time world champion Lasse Norman Leth (“Reffe Co: Play Giant Store”) finished 11th.
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“We knew it would be a tough day, especially because of the wind. The race was tense, especially every part of the track where we had a crosswind, but I knew that the last few weeks had been successful for me, so I was confident in my abilities. I rode aggressively all day, trying to stay at the front, reacting to every move. The finish was a bit tactical, but I managed to secure the victory,” commented A. Konychevas.
The race winner leads not only in the general classification but also in two other categories: by points earned (18 points) and in the classification of the most active cyclists in the race.
“The first day was important, now we have the leader’s jersey, so in the coming days everyone will be watching us. I will do what I can to keep the jersey,” said A. Konychevas.
The most successful Lithuanian athlete in the first stage was Rokas Adomaitis, who finished 20th. The 21-year-old cyclist, representing the national team, ranks fifth among U23 athletes.
“It’s great that the race I have been waiting for half a year has finally arrived. There was a very strong wind in the first stage. I started very poorly, staying in the third group, but I didn’t give up all day, knowing there were still many kilometers left. We kept spinning, spinning, and eventually, we all returned (to the group – editor’s note). Then there was another breakaway, and it turned out that I ended up in the day’s breakaway – about 20-30 people were spinning there. I arrived at the finish in the second group, and in the last few kilometers, I worked as hard as I could to lose as little time as possible. I made it into the Top-20, which I am happy about because I haven’t raced at this level for a long time. Four more stages to go, we ride, refresh, rest, and tomorrow is a new day,” said R. Adomaitis.
By the way, the race was not without crashes: two athletes fell near the finish while negotiating a turn.
“Tour of Lithuania” is the largest professional race of this level in the Baltic countries. The race is assigned the International Cycling Union (UCI) 2.2 category, so cyclists can earn ranking points that allow them to compete for tickets to the world, European championships, and even the Olympic Games. The “Tour of Lithuania,” held for the fourth consecutive year, consists of five stages: on Thursday, cyclists will ride around the Kėdainiai city area.
The “Tour of Lithuania” cycling race is partially funded by state funds administered by the National Sports Agency, as well as by the municipalities of Tauragė, Kėdainiai, Utena, Kaunas, and Vilnius.
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