Rein Taaramae was beaten into second at the Tour fo Turkey by the tiniest of margins but after stepping down from the podium, the Estonian managed to put his result into perspective. Having come back from illness, he has returned to his highest level and the Turkish race has allowed him to rebuild his confidence after some difficult years.

Rein Taaramae was once regarded as a potential grand tour winner but over the last few years, the talented Estonian faded back into anonymity. Unable to perform at his usual level, he thought that he was struggling from asthma until the doctors finally found the real reason for his struggles.

Taaramae underwent surgery in March and has returned to form earlier than anyone would have expected. This week he won the queen stage of the Tour of Turkey and ended the race in second overall.

Taaramae had entered Friday's summit finish with a 6-second lead over Adam Yates but his hopes of an overall win were dashed when the Brit put 7 seconds into the Cofidis rider on the climb to Selcuk. Having initially been extremely disappointed with the lost opportunity, Taaramae is now able to put things into perspective as the race has proved that he may still return to his former level.

“I was super happy with my stage win in Elmali (stage 3) and I was hoping to keep the jersey all the way," he said. "By contrast I was very disappointed to lose it two days ago. Now I have overcome the disappointment.

"We believed in our chances until the finish line but when you see a 100-kg Dutchman (Jens Mouris, 95 kilos actually) ride next to Nicolas Edet who is a climber, you understand it’s not realistic to take the jersey back.

"Over the whole week, the return of my best form and the work of the Cofidis team in my favour boosted my morale. The outcome could have been different if Yoann Bagot, who was our leader at the start, had not suffered from gastroenteritis. Had he been better, he could have been my side until the top in the stage two days ago.

"At least this Tour of Turkey showed me I was still capable of obtaining results even though I’m still unclear about my next objectives, the Dauphine and the Tour de France. In any case, I gained my self confidence back.”