Pliuschin: "I worked hard in the last couple of weeks, with this day in mind. I'm very satisfied with my performance, as it shows I'm on the good way. This gives me a boost of confidence ahead of the next stage races."

The race around the Moldavian capital Chisinau covered only 150 km, but it made for a hard day on the bike. Six laps with three hills in every lap offered a challenging course for strong riders like Pliuschin. "There was a break of about fifteen riders, but every lap riders got dropped from the break. The temperature was 45 degrees and so the climbing was really tough."

With one lap to go, the break had been reduced to three riders. Pliuschin, launched and attack from what was left of the peloton and jumped across to the three leaders. Soon, he was alone off the front, rushing to the finish line alone.

"This is my third title with the elite. I'm very proud to wear the colors of my country."

Next up for LEOPARD TREK is a training camp in Austria, where the riders will prepare for the next part of the season. Pliuschin: "I'm really looking forward to the next stage races, particularly the French races. My shape is good already and I think it can still become better."