Win number twelve this season for Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team.
Lars Vanden Heede pulled off a huge number on the second stage of the West Bohemia Tour, a four-day race that started on Thursday from Stary Plzenec. The Belgian went on the attack as soon as the flag was waved in Klatovy, which hosted both the start and the finish of the hilly stage two, and even after he got caught, he remained extremely active, producing another big acceleration that helped him join the breakaway.
The group was a solid one and quickly built a nice advantage over the bunch, who in the final 60 kilometers picked up the pace and began chewing into that buffer. Unfazed by this, Lars continued to put in an impressive effort and used the hilly terrain to drop his breakaway companions. Alone in the final 30 kilometers, Vanden Heede went into time trial mode and emptied himself on the road back to Klatovy, managing to hold off the chasers for the smallest of margins as he scored his third victory of the season.
“It was a very hard stage, full gas from the beginning. I felt really strong and booked a place in the first breakaway of the day together with some of my teammates, but the peloton brought us back. Then I went again, and this time, it proved to be the right one. As the race progressed, I felt that the others were starting to tire, while I still had some energy left, so I kept pushing until I was left with just one guy.”
“On the last climb, with some 30 kilometers to go, I attacked, dropped him and continued by myself. Seeing what I was able to do gave me renewed confidence and an extra boost of energy in that last hour of the race. Crossing the finish line just ahead of the chasers was amazing and it made me incredibly happy. I am delighted with this win and I want to thank my teammates, who did a great job behind in the bunch”, said Lars, whose palmares this season also includes victories at the Wim Hendriks Trofee and PK Oost Vlaanderen.
Photo credit: ©Wout Beel
Lars Vanden Heede 