On Wednesday, a 194.5 kilometer long stage was held between Troyan and Sliven in the Tour of Bulgaria. The riders faced a second category climb in the first third of the stage. This climb was particularly important in the penultimate stage of the race because from there a more or less flat course awaited the peloton.
Team United Shipping controlled most of the stage. This role fell mainly to Barnabás Mórocz and Zétény Szíjártó, who were watching the events closely. Nikiforos Arvanitou finished 5th in the sprint this time, but he still confidently leads the GC before the final stage.
Zétény Szíjártó evaluates the Bulgarian days:
“Yes, we stand out from the peloton, even though only five of us started the race, and Máté (Endrédi) dropped out today due to stomach problems. But of course the standard here is not low either! We feel the weight of the yellow jersey, as the responsibility of controlling the race. Our job is to watch the breakaways and dictate the pace. Today (4th stage) Barni and I led 170 of the 200 kilometers, but sometimes Stolic also helped. We are motivated before the last stage. We would like to win overall, but we will not turn down another stage win! The differences are small, so we will need all our strength.”
Máté Endrédi after his exit:
“Unfortunately, my stomach started to hurt this morning. I had an upset stomach and vomited until the start of the stage… I didn’t eat anything and I felt very weak. I don’t know why, I ate my usual food and now I feel completely fine. I’m very sorry that I couldn’t continue the race, because the team really needed me. It feels great to race in a way that we can control the bunch and we have the yellow jersey. With Barni and Zéti (Mórocz & Szíjártó) we were in the front every day and we controlled the race according to our interests. It feels good to experience that too! I think the two sprinters’ line-up is very good, because Niki and Stolic are also among the best sprinters here. I think we have a high chance for the GC victory, because on the last day the hill will be less long than the previous ones, Niki will be fine!”
📷Photo: Ian Chen
