Elia Viviani (Cannondale) proved that he is ready for his upcoming targets at the Giro d'Italia when he finished 2nd in today's first stage of the Tour of Turkey. The Italian saw the result as a good sign ahead of his upcoming goal on home soil and admitted that winner Mark Cavendish had been superior.

Elia Viviani is one of the sprinters who use the Tour of Turkey to ramp up his condition for the Giro d'Italia. After a slow start to the season, he proved that his condition is reaching its peak just at the right time when he finished 2nd behind Mark Cavendish on the opening stage in the race that is loaded with good sprinters.

Viviani did a good sprint but was not even close to Cavendish who won by more than a bike length and the Cannondale sprinter openly admitted that the best rider had won the stage.

“When you don’t win, you always think you could have done something better or you made a mistake," he said. "But I was beaten by a great champion. I was in is wheel, ready to accelerate but he was also caught in the confusion of this sprint and in the end the conditions were the same for everybody.

"I might have ridden a little tougher in the last kilometre but it’s always difficult to lead a sprint from that far. However I’m glad about my condition. I’m well and I sprint well, which is a morale boost with the Giro in mind. It’s even very important.”