The largest cycling road race in the Baltic States, the Tour of Lithuania, began on Wednesday, with 22 teams from 4 continents lining up at the starting line this year. In the first stage, 121 cyclists covered a 156.2 km route in the Tauragė area, and the winner was Italian Alexander Konychev of the China Anta – Mentech Cycling Team.
In extremely gusty winds, three cyclists reached the finish line first: A. Konychev, Estonian Raitas Armas representing the Lithuanian Energus team, and Magnus Machholdt of the Reffe Co: Play Giant Store team – this is the order in which the athletes finished the race. The biggest star of the race, two-time Olympic and five-time world champion Lasse Norman Leth (Reffe Co: Play Giant Store), finished 11th.
“We knew it would be a tough day, especially because of the wind. The race was nerve-wracking, especially at every point on the course 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, tried to be in front, and reacted to every move. The finish was a bit tactical, but I managed to win,” commented A. Konychev.
The race winner leads not only in the overall standings, but also in two other categories: points scored (18 points) and the classification of the most active cyclists in the competition.
“The first day was important, now we have the leader’s jersey, so everyone will be looking at us in the next days. I will do my best to keep the jersey,” said A. Konychevas.
Rokas Adomaitis was the most successful Lithuanian athlete in the first stage, finishing 20th. The 21-year-old cyclist, representing the national team, is ranked fifth among U23 athletes.
“I’m glad that the race I’ve been waiting for for half a year has finally arrived. There was a very strong wind in the first stage. I had a very bad start, I stayed in the third group, but I didn’t give up all day, knowing there were still many kilometers to go. We rode, rode and eventually we all returned to the group. After that, there was another run and it turned out that I ended up in the day’s breakaway – there were maybe 20-30 people riding there. I came to the finish in the second group, and I worked the last few kilometers as best I could to lose as little time as possible. I made it to the Top-20, which I’m happy about, because it’s been a long time since I’ve raced at this level. Four more stages: we’re riding, we’re washing, we’re resting and tomorrow is a new day,” said R. Adomaitis.
By the way, a crash was inevitable in the race: two athletes fell near the finish while overcoming a turn.
The Tour of Lithuania is the largest professional cycling event in the Baltic States. The race is classified as a UCI 2.2 category, meaning cyclists can earn points to compete for World and 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 in the Kėdainiai region.
The Tour of Lithuania cycling race is partly funded by the state, administered by the National Sports Agency, and by the municipalities of Tauragė, Kėdainiai, Utena, Kaunas and Vilnius.
