Our rider delivered a strong performance at last week’s race, finishing tenth overall on the general classification and confirming his continued progression at World Tour level.
The young Belgian showed his strength from the opening stages, positioning himself well in the GC battle throughout the week and staying close to the front on the decisive climbs.
I’m really happy with the result.
“I felt strong from the first stages, so I knew a good GC result was possible. To finish in the top ten is nice and gives me a lot of confidence.”
Romandie is a race that suits Lecerf’s characteristics, with repeated climbing efforts playing to his strengths. “I was already eighth overall last year, so it’s a race I really like. There’s climbing every day, which is perfect for me. The team worked really hard for me all week and I was really happy to get a top ten place for them”, he explained.
This year’s edition also played more favourably to him, with a shorter time trial limiting potential losses against stronger specialists: “Last year I was still fifth before the final time trial and lost places there, so this year’s format was better for me”.
Perhaps most encouragingly, Lecerf was able to measure himself against some of the very best riders in the world, often finishing close to the front group. “I was quite surprised to be that close to the top riders. They are still on another level, but I wasn’t too far off. It shows the gap is still there, but maybe not as big as I expected.”
His performance also underlined a clear upward trajectory, backed up by his physical data.
I still feel like I’m progressing every year.
“I did my best-ever 20-minute power in a race last week, so that’s a good sign. I’m still improving and moving in the right direction. I don’t feel like I suffer too much on the flat anymore either. That’s another step forward for me”, he said.
After a relatively quiet start to the season, the result in Romandie provides a timely boost heading into the next block of racing with Soudal Quick-Step: “I was a bit disappointed with the start of my season because I didn’t have a big result yet, so it’s really nice to get one now and move forward with a good feeling.”
Lecerf will now turn his attention to the Tour of Hungary – taking place netween 13-17 May – where he sees further opportunities to target a strong GC result: “There’s usually one key stage for the overall standings, so that will be important. I think I can go for a good result there. It’s also not World Tour, so maybe the level is a bit more open, even if it’s still high.”
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
