Our rider is the first Italian in two years to get in possession of this trophy at the Grande Boucle.
Mattia Cattaneo made a visit to the podium at the end of Saturday’s stage 8 to receive the most combative prize, a well-deserved reward for the 31-year-old from Bergamo, who animated the journey between Dole and Lausanne for over 160 kilometers.
In what was another frantic start to the stage, Mattia was the first rider to attack, drawing a response from just two other men. Together they opened a gap on the peloton, which even though didn’t exceed three minutes, was enough to force the bunch to work hard, and that was in part thanks to Cattaneo, the “motor” of the breakaway, who took some really long pulls at the front of the three-man group, in the process winning two of the day’s four classified climbs.
Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl’s Italian knew it would be mission impossible for him, as the peloton had their sights on the stage victory, but continued to push through the pain and leave everything out there, before being reeled in just ahead of the final hurdle on the course, Côte du Stade Olympique, the 4.8km climb lying in the center of Lausanne. There, a small group fought for the win, which went to Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), who outsprinted his opponents.
“Today was a very hard stage from the beginning, when the fight for the breakaway was fierce. Once I made it there, I tried to do my best, worked together with the other guys and spent a lot of energy in the hope we would make it, but the gap wasn’t on our side. I am happy that my effort brought me the most combative rider trophy, it was my first time on the Tour de France podium and it was a beautiful feeling to be there. This only adds to my motivation to go in other breakaways in the next two weeks and try to win a stage”, said Mattia, who is also the team’s best placed rider in the general classification.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
