Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Alessandro Petacchi was 7th in the final stage of Tour of Beijing, a flat 117km 5th stage on Tuesday.
Tony Martin, who trailed by less than 30 seconds in the GC, tried to once again steal a victory from the sprinters with a late race attack. However, he was caught in the final kilometers and the predicted sprint was inevitable.
Luka Mezgec (Argos-Shimano) won the final stage, with Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) placing 2nd and Moreno Hofland (Belkin) finishing 3rd. Martin — who won the first two editions of the race — finished 6th overall, while Benat Intxausti (Movistar) won the third eedition of Tour of Beijing.
"Tony Martin tried to go for a third win in a row at Tour of Beijing, even if the parcours did not suit his skills," Sport Director Jan Schaffrath said. "But it was not only Tony who put in a big effort. The whole team showed character, especially in the last three days. We tried every day to do something, to make an action that could have won the race. Tony tried to attack on the downhill, the flats, and the climbs as well. So, we have no regrets about this race. We finished 6th overall, which is still good. But maybe with a bit ore luck we could have done even better. But OK, the most important thing is the team surrounded Tony, helping him, and we also win for the stage wins with Petacchi. We didn't make it, but the team had the capacity to target two objectives: The GC and the stages. We were really close. We didn't make it, but we fought each and every kilometer until the end."
