The last stage of the Tour of Bulgaria started and finished in the city of Sliven. The distance of the stage was initially 114 kilometers, but most of the stage was neutralized and the bunch raced only the last 50 kilometers. This also meant that the total ascent was halved, which improved Nikiforos Arvanitou’s chances of winning the GC.
The attacks began from the first meters of the climb. Niki was able to follow the attacks for a long time, but towards the end of the climb some riders were able to form a breakaway. Then Arvanitou started chasing the escapees alone, he caught them within the last 5 kilometers. Preparing for the sprint, two riders fell in front of Niki, but our Greek sprinter still ended the day in second place and brought home the first GC victory in the history of Team United Shipping!
As Nikiforos Arvanitou assessed:
“Today was a tricky stage. The half of the stage and the first 10 kilometres of the big climb was neutralised. Because of it, everyone was fresh and I knew all teams would try to attack me. Until we reached the climb our team did a great job by winning the intermediate sprint with Stolic and controlling the race. Immediately when we reached the climb the other teams started attacking me. I managed to follow every move until I was a bit on my limit so I let some guys go. At the top of the climb I had a 1:20 minutes disadvantage to the first group. Because 10 or more guys only sat on my wheel, I started going full gas and I tried to close the gap alone in the last 5 kms. I controlled all the attacks. In the last corner two riders crashed in front of me and I lost some speed due to the crash and I finished second in the sprint. Winning the GC as a sprinter is very special. It means so much to me. All the hard work in the mountains and many hours on the bike paid off. I finally showed my best! The team was incredible, every single one of them. They were closing the gaps and controlling the bunch every day with all of their strength. I owe them this victory and I owe this victory to the whole team, staff, family and friends.”
Top 5 from the Czech Republic
The first stage of the Tour of South Bohemia was held at the same time as the Bulgarian Tour. The stage included several little hills, and the bigger teams kept the pace under control throughout. Among the TUS guys, Michal Schuran, Erik Fetter and Bálint Feldhoffer were in the front group until the last kilometer, then Michal and Erik led up the sprint for Bálint Feldhoffer. In the end, Bálint finished in 5th place. The stage was won by Jed Smithson from Visma Devo.
Bálint’s statement after the first stage:
“The whole stage was quite hectic due to the narrow roads and the large bunch. The finish was quite steep, we had to go up to a church on a hilltop. In the last 10 kilometers, we came together quite well with Erik and Michal (Fetter and Schuran), who controlled the attacks throughout, and because of it, they knew that I would have the best chance in the sprint. They were with me until the last kilometer. Then came the very technical finish with a narrow road in the last 500 meters, which was uphill, and partially cobblestoned. I knew that I would be good on such an uphill, technical sprint finish. There is obviously still a lot to go. The climbs will only come on Saturday, everything will be revealed there, but for now I am positive about the race and I hope to finish in the top 10!”
