Perracchione impresses on stage one in Estonia

First year professional Alessandro Perracchione impressed on the opening stage of today’s Tour of Estonia with the 19-year-old Italian finishing in the top 20 for Team Novo Nordisk after a tough finale in Tartu.

“Alessandro did well once again today,” said Sports director Gennady Mikhaylov. “He’s eager to learn and adapt to the pro level and shows this every time he races and here in Estonia is a good place for our younger riders to gain some experience without so much stress. This is one of the best things that we can do for our neo pros, give them a solid environment in which to develop and try to create a racing program that gives them time to do that.”

The 193km stage wound south from the capital Tallinn to the picturesque, historic university city of Tartu on what was for the main a tranquil day in warm sunshine behind the breakaway turned into fireworks at the end as the uphill cobbled finale dug into the legs.

“We rode really steady throughout,” said Perracchione. “So much so that you don’t realize how much the distance takes out of you until you get to the final and then it hurts. I did the best I could on the climb to the finish, but I didn’t have the legs to make it into the top ten.”

“It’s only a short climb to the line, but it’s really sharp on the cobbles and the gradient rises very quickly, and that’s when I felt the 200km in the legs. Nevertheless I really enjoyed the day, every race I do as a neo pro is all about learning and gaining experience, but I’m hungry and I always want to get the best result possible.”

Tomorrow’s final stage in Tartu takes in the very same cobbled climb repeatedly over 15 laps and will certainly thin out the bunch in what is usually a classics style finish to the race.