Perracchione finding his legs in the pro field in Antalya

The Tour of Antalya continued to throw up mountainous challenges for the peloton on stage 3 of the race. Today’s stage was the shortest of the race over 133.4 kilometers, but arguably the toughest, finishing in Tahtali.

Alessandro Perracchione who is making his pro debut in the race was Team Novo Nordisk’s fastest finisher. The 19-year-old showed great form on the opening stage to finish 21^st on his first day of racing as a professional.

Five riders made up the day’s breakaway and stayed together until the final climb when the peloton was adamant and successful in contesting the stage win.

Alessandro Perracchione:

“The stage went well today. I stayed with the first group until the last climb. I don’t know exactly where I finished but I guess around 60^th place. I’m feeling quite good in my first race. The pace in the pro ranks is so much higher, especially on the climbs.”

“I’m trying to take each day as it comes and the sports director told us to use the race to gain experience and get used to this level of racing. Overall as a team we have been working well together and I think coming out of this race strong bodes well for the future.”

Photos: Velo Images