Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast rider Andrew Bajadali took home a win in the points classification and second in the general classification at the Tour des Pyrénées in France last week, won by Britain's Daniel Fleeman (An Post - Sean Kelly Team). The 35-year-old was part of a three-man break in stage one over the Col d'Aspin. Despite being unable to catch the lead rider, he out sprinted his breakaway partners and took second on the stage, just five seconds down on the stage leader.
"It was great to see Baj have a chance to really show what he's capable of on some of these big European climbs," said team director Jonas Carney. "He was amazing on the big climbs through the Pyrenees and our whole squad rode incredibly strong to support him."
In stage three, Bajadali attacked on the descent inside the final 30 kilometres, gaining 30 seconds to move into overall second place with a points lead and a third place stage finish. In the final and fourth stage from Almudevar to Zaragoza, Jonny Sundt jumped early and kept the break away strong until the finish, ensuring Bajadali retained his overall points classification and finishing sixth on the stage himself.
"This was a great experience for us to come to Europe and race so competitively," adds Carney. "We've made it clear, our program is built to race well domestically in the United States and compete increasingly on the international level. It's a natural team progression for us and the best way for our athletes to grow and develop. It also gives us phenomenal momentum, as we head into the USPRO Criterium, road race and time trial."
