The Brazilian became the first South American in eight years to top the youth classification at the French race.
Henrique Bravo continues his solid run, which so far this season netted him three victories – including the Tour of Antalya – and after a strong week of racing, concluded the Circuit des Ardennes in seventh overall and with the best young rider jersey on his shoulders.
Soudal Quick-Step Devo was one of the teams who tried to shake things up on Saturday, when the race scheduled its queen stage, and it was thanks to this approach that we had two riders in the top ten overall one day later, when this 52nd edition ended. Viktor Soenens finished fifth, just four seconds from the podium, while Henrique jumped almost twenty places in the standings and slotted into seventh. More importantly for the Brazilian was that his ride on the penultimate day moved him into white, which he retained with the support of the squad on the hilly roads to Charleville-Mézières.
“It was a very hard race, basically you had to remain focused from start to finish, every day. We tried to make the difference on stage four and I think we did quite good. We can be proud of having two riders in the top ten, after a strong team effort. Personally, I’m happy with my result. Seventh and the best young rider trophy after a demanding week is an important confidence-boost ahead of Liège-Bastogne-Liège”, Henrique explained after the Circuit des Ardennes.
Photo credit: ©Wout Beel