Tiago Machado from Team NetApp – Endura is on the verge of winning the 21st Tour de Slovénie. The 28-year-old Portuguese rider climbed into second place on today's queen stage, only just beaten by Francesco Bongiorno (Bardiani – CSF). Machado thus took the lead in the GC and he is about to record his first win of the season. It is expected that tomorrow's final stage will end with a mass sprint in Novo Mesto and that there will be no change in the top rankings.

"It was not a chance result, because we knew exactly what to expect. I am not only delighted with Tiago's great performance, but also by the fact that the team completely committed to Tiago as the leader and implemented our tactics 100%. Today, we wanted to write the script ourselves and isolate as many riders as possible before the final climb. So we went into the penultimate climb with the full team and at full speed. We thereby weakened the direct competitors. Then, Tiago attacked very early during the final climb, so that only two riders were able to follow him. That was crucial to his success," says Christian Pömer, Sport Director of Team NetApp – Endura, summing up the day. 

Initially, six riders managed to break away shortly after the start. Their lead grew quickly to five minutes. After 160 kilometers of the race, the leading group split on the penultimate climb, while at the same time the pace in the peloton was increased. At the foot of the final climb, the gap had already shrunk to less than a minute. An early attack by Tiago Machado dictated the pace in the pack. Ten kilometers before the finish, Machado and his fellow contenders had reeled in the last of the breakaways. Further increases in pace on the climb sorted out the leading group still further, so that only three riders, including Machado, took on the last five kilometers together, competing for the day's win.

Tomorrow's final stage takes the riders for 153 kilometers, from Skofja Loka to Novo Mesto. The sprinters will get their chance to shine tomorrow on the gently undulating profile and the flat final third of the stage yet again. For Team NetApp – Endura the challenge is to stay alert and to control the race, to defend the lead in the general classification.

Website Tour of Slovenia

Stage 1 (ITT): Ljubljana - Ljubljana, 8.8km 
Stage 2: Ribnica - Kočevje, 160.7km 
Stage 3: Rogaška Slatina - Trije Kralji, 192km 
Stage 4: Škofja Loka - Novo mesto, 153km