Going into the Giro d'Italia, Elia Viviani was hoping to take his first ever grand tour stage win but the race didn't pan out as he had expected. Today he put the disappointment behind him by winning the final stage of the Tour de Slovenie and he was pleased to hit the reset button after his failure on home soil.

Cannondale Pro Cycling’s Elia Viviani claimed his fourth victory of the season today winning the final stage at the Tour of Slovenia, a 153 km route from Skofja Loka to Novo Mesto. The Italian sprinter took the win, leaving behind Eduard Grosu of Vini Fantini and Michael Matthews of Orica-GreenEdge.

“It was not an easy sprint and I needed an extra bold act to take it,” said Viviani. “The final circuit was not new for me. I remembered my past experiences at Tour de Slovenia, and it was very useful. The final turn at 300 meters to the finish was the key point for the final straight, a slight uphill road with cobbles.

"Thanks to my teammates, who did great work in the finale to help me, I took the turn in the right position, but to come back I had to pass through a really narrow passage on the right – just a couple of centimeters between the riders and the barrier. I had no other chance, I had to take the risk and it was the right choice.”

Today’s win at the Tour de Slovenia comes as a redemption after a bittersweet experience at the Giro d’Italia.

“After the Giro I was disappointed – I wanted a stage victory but I found only crashes and health problems. It’s never easy to ask to your body and mind to suffer without a taking any satisfactions. But I also knew I had to leave behind everything and to reset. This is what I did just after the Giro, waiting to attend the Tour de Slovenia to raise my season. This success is what I needed. It was a great boost for my morale,” added Viviani.

This win is Viviani’s second win at the Tour de Slovenia. He took his first win in 2011 in Nova Gorica. This is his 28thwin overall since becoming a professional in 2010. For Cannondale Pro Cycling, this is their 11th win in 2014.

Viviani is also included in the long list of the riders selected by the team for the upcoming Tour de France – the final roster will be announced in the coming days.