Our rider notched up the team’s 70th podium of the season.
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl ended the National Championships week with ten medals in the bag netted by as many different riders in six countries. The last of these was secured by Mikkel Honoré, who by finishing third in the Danish Road Race held around Aalborg over a distance of 211 kilometers took his first podium of the season.
Despite having only Mikkel and Michael Mørkøv at the start, our team was among the most active, trying to control the early breakaway and then to shape the race, which came to life inside the final two hours. Attacks began coming in waves once the riders tackled the numerous hills spread on the route, and Honoré was quick to accelerate and reduce the group that was chasing a strong two-man still in the lead from the original breakaway to just a handful of men.
Our Dane spent a lot of effort trying to close the gap, but with the leaders having teammates in that group to slow down the chase, it became more and more difficult for the 25-year-old to do it. Despite the huge effort put in on this wearing circuit, Mikkel still had something left to zip away in the closing kilometers and score his first ever medal at the National Championships.
“It was a tough day of racing. Together with Michael we did our best and tried to control the breakaway before things began heating up, at which moment our priority was to have someone in the front. When the climbing started, I got away with a solid group, but those at the front having teammates there complicated matters a bit. At the end of the day, third is not a bad result. I am content with it, because a podium at the Nationals is always good for confidence, especially after the hard spring I had”, Mikkel explained at the end of Sunday’s race.
Photo credit: ©Bas Czerwinski / Getty Images
