Angelo Tulik again got close to a big win when he finished second behind Rein Taaramae in the Tour du Doubs. The Europcar rider admitted that his Estonian rival had been too strong and so was pleased with the outcome.

In May, Angelo Tulik was beaten by Marco Canola in the sprint for a breakthrough stage win in the Giro d'Italia. Yesterday he again took a podium spot in a major race when he finished second in the Tour du Doubs.

Tulik was part of the 7-rider group from which eventual winner Rein Taaramae emerged. In the finale, he managed to escape on his own to take second behind the lone Estonian.

"I'm not disappointed," he told Directvelo. "I was glad to be with riders like Rein Taaramäe, Davide Rebellin and Thibaut Pinot. The team did the work from the start. With Roman Guillemois, we were two representatives from Europcar in the front group  before it split in two. 

"When Taaramäe attacked, there was nothing I could do, it was impossible for me to follow him. The final climb was too steep for me. Yesterday I looked at the final descent. I knew it well, hence the fact that I was able to gain a few metres. It was my best performance in a Coupe de France race. 

"My next three races are the GP Impanis, the Tour of Gevaudan and the Circuit Franco-Belge."