Zaļeskis Finishes 16th, Best Latvian in "Radjungendtour" Prologue
Latvia's U17 national cycling team began competing in Austria's multi-day "Radjungendtour" race, with Ralfs Zaļeskis posting the best Latvian result in the prologue by finishing 16th.
Latvia's U17 national cycling team has started competing in Austria in one of Europe's most prestigious road cycling stage races for this age group, the "Radjungendtour". In Wednesday's 3.1-kilometer, technically demanding prologue, Ralfs Zaļeskis, who represents the "NN Sporta klubs" club, posted the best result among the 143 participants from the Latvian team.
Zaļeskis completed the course in 4 minutes and 8 seconds, averaging 44.96 kilometers per hour, which earned him 16th place. He finished 13 seconds behind the winner, Hungary's Oliver Burgmeister.
Other Latvian results
Among the rest of the Latvian squad, Edvards Vēvers placed 28th, 15 seconds behind the leader; Olivers Šika was 41st, losing 18 seconds; Roberts Judins finished 54th with a 21-second deficit; Gustavs Patriks Cīrulis took 82nd place, 27 seconds back; and Rihards Bondars was 107th, 31 seconds off the pace.
The Latvian U17 team is led by coach Mārtiņš Trautmanis, and the six-athlete squad was selected based on ranking results. The "Radjungendtour" features 143 riders from national teams and leading Western European teams. Besides the prologue, the race includes four additional stages, taking place over hilly terrain while still offering opportunities for sprinters.
The tour continues Thursday with the first stage, covering 77.2 kilometers and including two intermediate sprints and two categorized climbs.
