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Brajkovič wins Tour of Slovenia and Kangert claims final stage of Tour de Suisse
Brajkovič wins Tour of Slovenia and Kangert claims final stage of Tour de Suisse
Pro Team Astana revelled in double glory today as Tanel Kangert won the final stage of the Tour de Suisse and Jani Brajkovič finished top of the general classification at the Tour of Slovenia.
Astana played a major role throughout all stages of the Tour of Slovenia, taking a win, two second places and the leader's jersey in three out of four stages. Today’s climactic 17.8 km time trial around Ljubljana saw Brajkovič succeed in closing the gap to Domenico Pozzovivo, as he emerged at the head of the general classification, five seconds ahead of the Italian rider.
“Jani is very happy with this home victory,” said DS Gorazd Stangelj. “We were the favourites going into the time trial but Pozzovivo did very well and caused us some trouble. We planned everything down to the most minute detail; Jani was very calm and knew what he was capable of. Overall victory is just reward for the effort we put into this race and is a good sign for the Tour de France.”
Meanwhile, Estonian rider Tanel Kangert also prevailed in today’s final stage of the Tour de Suisse, crossing the line first after a breakaway that lasted 160 km. The win brought the team's overall haul for the race up to two stage victories, adding to Fredrik Kessiakoff’s triumph in Thursday’s time trial.
Team directeur sportif Dmitri Sedoun said: “Today’s stage was without doubt one of the hardest of the Tour de Suisse. Our strategy was to get into the breakaways and Kiserlovski and Kangert were the two men charged with that task. After an initial attempt from Kiserlovski, Tanel managed to get in the right break, which escaped after just 45 km of the race. He was then able to pick off his opponents one by one and beat Roy in the sprint. After all his excellent work in the Giro d’Italia, Kangert deserved this victory.
“The overall assessment has got to be positive,” Sedoun continued, "since we won the time trial ahead of Cancellara and also the queen stage of this Tour.”
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