Martin Laas wins Tour of Sakarya

The Estonian rider Martin Laas, competing for Astana Qazaqstan Development Team, became the overall winner of the Turkish stage race Tour of Sakarya, ended today with Stage 4 of 138 km.

“I am really happy with this win, but also I am super happy and proud with the team, who supported me here in Turkey. The guys did a phenomenal job during all these four stages and this job as well as team spirit became the key of my overall success. These young guys are just incredible, and I want to thank them, it is our common victory”, - said Martin Laas.

Stage 4 ended with a bunch sprint where Laas took the second podium place just behind the Chinese rider Xianjing Lyu.

“Perhaps, I did a small mistake in the sprint as I launched it too late. Yesterday I started with some 300 meters to go, and it worked pretty well, while today I was waiting and waiting and, in a moment, Lyu started really fast, opening a gap, while I found myself a bit boxed in. Well, I was able to follow him and to catch his wheel, but it was already too late to pass him to win the stage, so I finished second”, - added Martin Laas.

“After the start five riders broke away clear, opening a gap, but the boys never gave them too much space, perfectly controlling the situation. With some 10 km to go we closed the gap, while later my teammates helped me to find a good position for the sprint. I arrived quite fresh to the finish as thanks to the team I was able to save energy for the final. In general, everything went perfect today, and the main goal has been achieved – we won the General Classification”, - concluded Martin Laas.

Daniil Pronskiy finished 17th and Alexandre Vinokurov did 19th in the overall standings.