It was an outstanding 2nd place for the young neo-pro Paolo Simion (Bardiani) in the stage 1 of Tour of Austria. The Bardiani – CSF sprinter was led out in a perfect way in the last km and after a thrilling head-to-head sprint with winner Holst Sondre Enger (IAM Cycling) and Gerald Ciolek (MTN) conquered a great 2nd place.  

”I’m happy and proud of this podium result, the first in the professional category," he said. "During the previous weeks I trained really hard in the mountains and I was confident to get good results here in Austria.

"Today the bunch sprint was a bit tricky but thanks to the support of my teammates I was able to get a good position in the front part of the group and then find the space to sprint. Enger of IAM Cycling proved to be the fastest but I’m satisfied with my 2nd place. Tomorrow the finale seems good for a new bunch sprint, so I’ll try to confirm."