Great satisfaction for the Gazprom-RusVelo, which obtains the final victory in the Settimana Coppi&Bartali with Sergei Firsanov. On the arrival of Pavullo, where Stefano Pirazzi of Bardiani Csf wins, Firsanov is sixth. With this result he secures the leader’s jersey, ahead in the overall standings of Mauro Finetto of UniEuro Wilier and the same Pirazzi. In the concluding stage of the Settimana Coppi&Bartali, Firsanov has managed to defend its first place in the standings from Pirazzi’s attacks and from those of Team Sky, particularly active in these days of competition.

After the success in the team time trial for quartets in the stage of Gatteo and the victory of Firsanov in Sogliano sul Rubicone, the Gazprom-RusVelo comes to the first great victory of the season. «We are very happy», general manager of the team, Renat Khamidulin, says. «The last stage was very difficult, because the Team Sky has maintained a high pace. But the whole team worked well and I’m happy for Firsanov: after the arrival he was very excited. He is a climber with great qualities, but in his career he was too often affected by bad luck. This time everything went well and I want to thank Adriano Amici and all his staff, the organizers of this great race, in which we participate for several years».

For the Gazprom-RusVelo, the success in Settimana Coppi&Bartali is a new and important stage of the growth process, which confirms the quality of the young and ambitious team, determined to prove its value even in the next Giro d’Italia. «The success of the Settimana Coppi&Bartali», Renat Khamidulin continues, «tells us that we are working efficiently. Now we will have another important test, the next Giro del Trentino. We know we have chosen the right path and we must continue in this direction».