Guardini: "My aim was to be up to the last two stages of the tour"

Andrea Guardini of Farnese Vini team who won the 138 kilometer long Tekirova-Manavgat stage said, "My aim was to be up to the last two stages throughout the tour. And I did it." at the press conference held.

Guardini who is also the winner of the Istanbul-Istanbul stage stated that it was a tough race and said:

"We made a challenging finish with top sprinters at this stage. It is a big success to win against them. We made a bunch finish for the second time and I managed to take a good position. I entered to the turn at the 10th rank and I won the stage with an attack in the last 100 meters. The last three sprint I won were better than the others but I guess this was the best. Meanwhile as a result of the discussions I made with technical managers and directors I decided not to participate in the Tour of Italy. And I will return after having a rest for a while. I am too young and I have a long time to make a career. If I climb better I can be better. I envisage all of my winnings. I won two stages here. As a result I have won total eight stages including the previous ones. Every victory is important for me."

AWARDS FROM THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE

The awards of the riders who went up to the podium in the Tekirova-Manavgat stage were presented by the National Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül and AK Party Antalya Deputy Abdurrahman Arıcı together with Cycling Federation President Emin Müfütoğlu.