The first stage of the Baku-Khankendi Azerbaijan Cycling Race goes to Aliaksei Shnyrko. With a sprint that left no room for replies, the thirty-one-year-old from Minsk claimed the inaugural fraction of the Azerbaijani race, which has risen from the ashes of the Tour of Azerbaijan last held nine years ago, ahead of Kazakhstan's Gleb Syritsa of XDS Astana and Belgian veteran Timothy Dupont of Tarteletto-Isorex.

Behind them, Filippo Cettolin (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber) was the best Italian at the finish line and, securing fourth place, has achieved what is so far his best placement of the season. It will be difficult for the nineteen-year-old from Treviso to do better in tomorrow's stage, the Baku-İsmayıllı covering 193.3 kilometers, which presents a much more undulating profile that could make it complicated even for the current race leader Shnyrko to maintain the overall lead gained today.

For the latter, however, there remains the satisfaction of having opened in the best possible way a race where, following today's victory (the fourth of the season for the Belarusian who has not won a professional race since 2019), new successes could come both for him and for his increasingly unstoppable Li Ning Star, which has now achieved its eighteenth triumph of 2026.

FINISHING ORDER

1. Aliaksei Shnyrko (Li Ning Star) — 3h30'02"

2. Gleb Syritsa (XDS Astana Team) — s.t.

3. Timothy Dupont (Tarteletto - Isorex) — s.t.

4. Filippo Cettolin (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber) — s.t.

5. Cristian David Pita (Roojai Insurance Winspace) — s.t.

6. Tilen Finkšt (Solution Tech NIPPO Rali) — s.t.

7. Marco Manenti (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber) — s.t.

8. Sander Inion (Universe Cycling Team) — s.t.

9. Iñigo Elosegui (Equipo Kern Pharma) — s.t.

10. Yevgeniy Fedorov (XDS Astana Team) — s.t.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Aliaksei Shnyrko (Li Ning Star) — 3:29:52

2. Gleb Syritsa (XDS Astana Team) +0:04

3. Ksawier Garnek (Mazowsze Serce Polski) +0:05

4. Yorben Lauryssen (Tarteletto - Isorex) +0:05

5. Timothy Dupont (Tarteletto - Isorex) +0:06

6. Eduardo Pérez-Landaluce (Óbidos Cycling Team) +0:08

7. Filippo Cettolin (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber) +0:10

8. Cristian David Pita (Roojai Insurance Winspace) +0:10

9. Tilen Finkšt (Solution Tech NIPPO Rali) +0:10

10. Marco Manenti (Bardiani CSF 7 Saber) +0:10