A tremendous ride from the Dutchman, who took the win on the queen stage of the Tour de Luxembourg in spectacular fashion.
Pepijn Reinderink made it two Soudal Quick-Step victories in the space of just one hour. After Tim Merlier emerged as the fastest in Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen, Pepijn pulled off a remarkable success on the toughest stage of the Tour de Luxembourg so far, a testament to his determination, grit and admirable fighting spirit that kept him going even when the chances of making it looked incredibly slim.
Best climber of the race two years ago, Reinderink was one of the two Soudal Quick-Step riders – alongside Gil Gelders – to book a place in the first breakaway of the day, that formed 35 kilometers into the stage. The attackers gained significant time over the peloton despite the challenging route, which included numerous climbs, and even when they were caught by a strong chasing group, where our team had Gauthier Sevranckx, they still maintained a solid gap over the bunch.
Once they entered the circuit, however, things began to change and splits appeared in the leading group on the slopes of Montée de Haemerich. Pepijn immediately responded to a dangerous attack and found himself part of a strong front move that quickly opened a 20-second gap on the chasers. Soon after, the 24-year-old Dutchman rode clear and continued alone, while behind the chasers began increasing the tempo on the steep gradients of the last climb.
Reinderink crested it just a handful of seconds ahead of a chasing trio and kept pushing as he approached the finish in Diekirch. Not even the uphill drag to the line and a powerful surge of his opponents could stop him from garlanding this stunning ride with an emotional victory, one that brought tears to his life and left him speechless after the finish. Only after going to the podium to receive the winner’s trophy and the KOM jersey, which he’ll wear on the penultimate stage, Pepijn shared his thoughts on the day where he made the implausible seem credible.
It’s the best day of my career!
“I felt amazing today, and when you are that strong, you need to give everything until the last drop of energy. On the penultimate hill, I sensed that the others were struggling so I attacked and went alone. I knew the chasers were strong, but I was confident in my chances of pulling it off. I still can’t believe what happened, it feels surreal after all the hard work in all these years. It’s a day I will never forget”, said Pepijn, the 114th different rider in the history of the team to win a race.
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