Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team (Italy) – Press Release: The rainbow shines for BAHRAIN MERIDA Pro Cycling Team today in Innsbruck, finish of the final stage of the Tour of the Alps and city that will host the 2018 World Championships in September. The “Capital of the Alps” crowns our young rider Mark Padun, who took an amazing solo win going for it with about 4 km to go.

“I can’t believe it!” says the 21-year-old Ukranian neo-pro right after he crossed the finish line “I’m very happy with my first success as a pro. I’m thankful to my teammates. It was really impressive and everything was perfect today. After one hour of racing I understood that I was feeling well. I knew that I could do something good, but I can’t imagine to take a win. I was thinking how I could manage to go for it. I was dreaming about it and than my dream came true!”

A victory that has a special taste because today’s route – from Rattenberg to Innsbruck 164km – covered two laps of the next UCI Road World Championships’ circuit, with three times the climb up the Olympia Climb (7.8km at 5.5%).

“I can only smile, because yesterday I wished a present for myself here in my home roads” says the Austrian Sports Director Harald Morscher “Also the team showed again a very good performance and we have obtained the maximum that we can get from this race. We can be happy for Pozzovivo’s result here at the Tour of the Alps also thinking about the Giro d’Italia”.

In fact in Innsbruck Team BAHRAIN MERIDA not only can celebrate the stage win of the young Padun, but the overall podium of Domenico Pozzovivo too. Our captain finished second overall just 15” down Pinot, fighting for the final win until the end.

“I’m satisfied with this result. I tried again today. Then with the attack of Padun I controlled the race to retain the second place in the general classification. I did a good test here ahead of the Giro d’Italia. But before that, I’ll focus now on the next race, the Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday”.

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