The Frenchman triumphed on the fourth and final stage after a strong ride.
Soudal Quick-Step bookended this year’s Czech Tour in style. After neo-pro Luke Lamperti sprinted to victory on the opening day, Julian Alaphilippe brought down the curtain over the race with a spectacular win in Sternberk, where the event came to a conclusion Sunday afternoon.
A hilly local circuit that the peloton had to cover four times was where the stage came to life in the final 30 kilometers, as soon as the original breakaway got caught. Kasper Asgreen and Antoine Huby tried to shake things up by going on the attack, two successive moves that had the desired result, as the peloton split on Sternberk, the 1km climb which averaged 8.1% and featured some tricky cobblestone sections.
The penultimate time up there, a strong twelve-man group featuring Julian Alaphilippe zipped clear and opened a nice gap on the chasers. On the fast descent, Huby managed to come back and proved to be of great help for his countryman, setting a strong tempo and keeping things together. As the group tackled the steepest part of the hill, Alaphilippe produced a solid acceleration that only yellow jersey Marc Hirchi (UAE Team Emirates) could match after some considerable effort, and the two powered clear of the rest.
The duo worked well together, but the chasers somehow bridged across with 800 meters to go, complicating the finale. Julian kept his composure and measured his effort perfectly just as the road began to rise in the closing 300 meters, letting Hirschi open the sprint before kicking out on a right-hand bend and taking his 44th pro victory.
“I am very happy with this stage win, which wouldn’t have been possible without the beautiful work of my teammates, who controlled the stage and brought me where I needed to be going into the final laps. The circuit, with the cobbles and that descent, was hard and demanding, but I enjoyed it. I felt good today and gave my best, so I’m of course delighted with this success. It’s good for morale before travelling to Paris”, said the two-time World Champion.
Photo credit: ©Jan Brychta
