The 21-year-old from California leads the Czech Tour.
Luke Lamperti came out on top at the end of the only flat stage of the Czech Tour – where our team returned for the first time since 2015 – and with it, took Soudal Quick-Step’s 25th win of the year. The young American, who had come close to victory several times in the first part of the season, had the perfect speed and positioning in the hectic finale of the stage, which concluded in Ostrava, and gave no chance to his opponents.
Soudal Quick-Step dominated the finale, moving to the front of the peloton in the last five kilometers, when Mattia Cattaneo put in a huge effort that stretched out the field. Kasper Asgreen kept our team in an excellent position under the flamme rouge, before Julian Alaphilippe took over, making sure Lamperti was on his wheel going into the critical left-hand turn coming with 500 meters to go.
After the two-time World Champion peeled off the front, Luke patiently waited for the others to move first, launching his sprint only in the final 200 meters and powering to a clear win that brought him the first yellow jersey of the race, which he’ll now sport on the hilly stage two to Pustevny.
“It’s my first win with the Wolfpack and it feels special. This victory is a nice way to kick off my second part of the season. We have a strong team here and the guys did a great job today, with the way they rode and controlled the stage, and I want to thank them for that. This success is good for the confidence as I resume my season”, Luke said after the podium ceremony. “I like being here, it’s my second time at the Czech Tour and I was impressed by the many fans who came on the side of the road to support us. Now we’re looking forward to the next stages of the week and hopefully we will get some more good results.”
Photo credit: ©Czech Tour / Navratilova
Yves Lampaert 