Two stage wins and four days in yellow for the Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team.
Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team’s excellent week at the Tour du Rwanda came to a conclusion Sunday, when William Junior Lecerf finished in third place for the smallest of margins, only a second separating him from the overall winner of the competition, Henok Mulubrhan (Green Project-Bardiani).
The Belgian, backed by his teammates, rode a flawless race until the final kilometer, where he made his move in the hope of gaining the time that would have put him back in the yellow jersey. Unfortunately, an untimely mechanical spelled the end of his quest, and Lecerf finished the stage in Kigali just outside the podium, missing out on the GC victory, but despite this he was rather delighted with the outing he had in Rwanda.
“The stage was short but very hard, and the presence of two cobbled climbs in the final part didn’t make things any easier. The pace was high from the start, when we rode away from the peloton and opened that decisive gap. Ethan was there to help me a bit, then Gil joined us later, and I was really confident in my chances.”
“I was perfectly positioned at the start of the last ascent, then I tried to attack in the steep final kilometer, but my chain got stuck and I had to put my foot down. It took a couple of seconds to fix this, and by that time the other guys were 100 meters ahead. I sprinted full gas to come back, but I had no more energy. It’s a pity that I came so close to victory, but on the other hand I am happy with my podium and with the great week the entire team had here”, said the 20-year-old.
Photo credit: ©Tour du Rwanda
