The 22-year-old won a classification at World Tour level for the first time in his career.
Pepijn Reinderink became the first Dutchman to finish at the top of the climber’s standings at the Tour of Guangxi, capping off a strong debut season in the pro ranks, which has seen him record a couple of noteworthy results in the Soudal Quick-Step jersey.
Having won the KOM jersey in the Tour de Luxembourg a month ago, Pepijn replicated that success, this time at the final World Tour event of the season, thanks to solid back-to-back outings on stages three and four. The points he scored on these two days were enough to put him at the top of the standings, where he remained after the intense last stage of the race, which culminated in Nanning with a reduced bunch sprint that saw teammate Martin Svrcek conclude in the top ten.
“I am happy to bring to a conclusion my first season in the Soudal Quick-Step jersey with this nice result. It’s been a great week for us – Warre took a spectacular stage win, we were present at the front of the race numerous times, and now this beautiful jersey – so we can be proud of what we achieved and of the way we rode here. I’ve learned a lot during my first year as a pro and I’m already looking forward to building on this and becoming better next year”, said Pepijn, the third different Soudal Quick-Step rider – after Remco Evenepoel and Tim Merlier – to win a World Tour classification this season.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
