Giovanni Lonardi’s great form continues: after Sunday’s victory in Plouay and yesterday’s podium in the first sprint at the Tour of Istanbul, today he claimed stage 3 of the Turkish race. On a day of difficult weather, which led the organizers to neutralize time gaps 5 km from the finish — though without cancelling the race itself — the Polti VisitMalta sprinter showed all his class by winning the rain-soaked sprint ahead of Jeanniere (Total Energies) and the rest of the field.
It was his eighth career win, his second within a week, and these were his words: “A tough day — we spent a long time riding behind the race director’s car because it was hard to stay upright on the asphalt. After about seventy kilometers the situation became manageable again and the real racing began. My teammates were perfect once more; today I was too, and I’m very happy. Now we have more opportunities ahead to keep chasing points!”
Sports Director Giovanni Ellena added: “The guys did well in every situation, including the intermediate sprint where Lonardi took 2nd, climbing further up in the points classification. Tomorrow is the grand finale in the capital — we want to finish on a high note…”
