CCC Sprandi Polkowice has kicked off Tour of Hainan with Eryk Latoń’s 15th place on Stage 1. 

The opening stage of the race was very short, as it was only 76 kilometers long. Because of that the peloton didn’t let any of the escapees get more than 1:50 of advantage. TheRiders in orange decided to start the 9-day competition calmly and spent most of the day in the main field.

It was all together with 10 kilometers remaining and the stage was decided in a bunch sprint. Andrea Palini (Skydive Dubai – Pro Cycling Team – Al Ahli Club) was the fastest man of the day and claimed a victory. He outsprinted Roberto Ferrari (Lampre-Merida) and Fabio Silvestre (Trek Factory Racing).

Eryk Latoń was the team’s top finisher, as he took 15th place.

"I had a lot of support from my teammates today. In the finale Grzegorz Stępniak helped me move up, but unfortunately in the last corner we got blocked and had to slow down. Afterwards I had to sprint by myself from 20th-25th position and I managed to finish in the top 15. Given the fact that it was the first stage, after a long trip and changing of time zone, I can be satisfied with that result," the young rider said.

Tomorrow’s stage from Xinglong to Wenchang is 188 kilometers long and just like today, the sprinters should play the biggest roles.