Having already finished second in a stage of the Tour of Belgium, Roman Maikin again underlined his great potential when he finished third in the hard Italian one-day race Giro della Toscana. The Russian was pleased to have mixed it up with the ProTeam riders in his first race after a mid-season break.

RusVelo rider Roman Maikin was third in the Italian 1.1 classic Giro della Toscana that was held for the 87th time. The 195 km-long course between Empoli and Arezzo culminated with six final laps with a shortm steep ascent. The bunch fell apart, and of the few riders who made the selection, the experienced Dutchman Peter Weening (Orica – Green Edge) was the fastest.

“Between the start and the entrance to the final laps, the race went at a steady tempo, there was an escape that stabilized the situation," Maikin said. "But as soon as we got to Arezzo, everything just exploded, there were endless attacks destroying the bunch. It was extremely important to stay ahead at that moment; my RusVelo teammates Sergey Lagutin and Ilnur Zakarin were of great help.

"With some three laps to go I made it into a small group of six formed on the steep climb and we were never caught. I’m happy with my third place, especially keeping in mind that we are just back from a high-altitude training camp, and the legs are still heavy for a sprint. Moreover, it was my first race after the Russian nationals, so I need to get some speed back”.