“I came alongside Van den Bergh with 150 meters to go, but I just couldn’t get past him. It feels good to be back fighting for the win. After two broken collarbones, it has been a long and difficult road back. To immediately have the trust of the team again and to see everyone working so hard for me means a lot and gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season.”
The second-place finish was also the result of strong teamwork in the finale, according to sports director Gaëtan Pons. “After our good result yesterday, it gave us a lot of confidence as a team heading into today’s stage. Per’s lead-out was perfect and Timo rode a great sprint. This is his best result of the year, so we can be happy with that.”
With a second-place finish under their belt, the team now looks ahead to the next stage with confidence. The so-called queen stage features plenty of climbing, narrow roads and a challenging finale.