Tour of Estonia

Matyas Kopecky (CZE)

“It’s my first time at the Tour of Estonia, and I am very happy to be here to show what’s possible with diabetes together with my teammates.”

“I didn’t know what to expect – I just finished exams at school, and I came here to help the team but for today I really didn’t have expectations. To be honest, my feeling right before the start wasn’t great but I did my best and in the end it turned out quite well. I’m in the top five among young riders, and in good range to aim for the white jersey.”

Sports Director, Gennady Mikhaylov 

“Today’s prologue was short but intense and technical, with a few tricky turns in the final part. We feared a wet start to the race, which would have made the course even more challenging, but instead the sun kept us company all the way.“

“The boys were focused, and ready to give it all. I’m satisfied with the results and it’s very good to see Matyas in the top 30 and in the top 5 for young riders. It’s a good start and good motivation for the whole team.”

Photo Credit @Adam Illingworth

Matyas Kopecky (CZE)

“Today was a long day, and also a very fast one. In the beginning there was not breakaway, so the pace was really high. At some point the break went, and the bunch slowed down but it started to rain heavily. The team did really great by taking really good care of me in any possible way!”

“In the final it was really chaotic and I tried to follow the big teams for the sprint. Although I lost some places in one of the last corners, I managed to do a good sprint on the final uphill which resulted in a 14th place. I was hoping for a top 10 but tomorrow is another day!”

Sports Director, Gennady Mikhaylov

“That was a brutal day out there today, long almost 200km and extremely heavy rain made it very tough for the guys. In the last 60km there was a big split in the bunch due to the strong crosswinds and we were caught on the wrong side of the split, but regrouped before the end.”

“We knew from last year that the cobbled finish could be anything but straightforward and the ramp up to the line made for a rather broken sprint. I think it took a few teams by surprise, but Matyas did well and finished strongly. The guys know what’s coming tomorrow now as we will pass the cobbled section a few times on the circuits and it should make for another exciting day.”

Photo Credit @Adam Illingworth