Appreciation to the team for their support at Giro

“The Astana´s boss and the sports manager Martinelli gave speeches and then they asked me to say something, too. I thanked to all guys for a job well done and to the team management who were working for us practically around the clock,” Roman revealed.In hindsight, he considers his sixth place a success. “The team without an exception welcomed the final outcome and I think it is a very good result. When I look at the riders who finished ahead of me, they all weigh less than me, some of them even by 10 kilos. Nibali, Scarponi and Contador’s weights are about 62, Rodriguez’s 57 and as for myself, I weigh 67 kilos. Even Gadret is lighter than me and Rujano weighs hardly 50 kilos. They are pure climbers and most of the time was able to keep up with them. This year´s Giro is said to have been the hardest Grand Tour in the last 25 years and for this reason, I value the sixth place greatly,” admitted the owner of the white jersey for the best young rider.Roman is convinced that his philosophy of gradual performance growth will bring him benefits. “Some reach the top sooner and some must wait. I´m probably the latter case. I´ve made steady progress every year and the results are getting better. I hope I will carry on in the right direction and I will soon be able to fight for the top positions.”Roman traveled from Italy to the Czech Republic yesterday. If he recovers from the slight cold he has had, he will ride the criterium in Brescie on Thursday.”I reckon that apart from that race, I will take a week off the bike. I won´t get back to training until the next week. I might go to the Šumava mountains for a couple of days. Then I will start gearing up for the Tour where I would love to take my first stage victory at the Grand Tours,” he revealed.