Third podium in four days of racing at Okolo Slovenska for the Frenchman.
Paul Magnier is the virtual winner of the green jersey for the second year in a row, the only thing standing between him and a second success in the points classification being the queen stage, which will also determine the overall victor of this 70th edition.
The penultimate day of the race was also the longest of the week, 197.5 kilometers between Belusa and Galanta, and just minutes after the start, five riders zipped clear and built a maximum gap of three minutes. Soudal Quick-Step quickly hit the front of the peloton, and together with other teams, began setting the pace behind the escapees. Ten kilometers from the line, the bunch looked to be in prime position, as only 30 seconds separated them from the leaders, but somehow those up the road managed to stay clear for the smallest of margins and Erik Fetter (Team United Shipping) took the win.
Magnier launched his sprint at 400 meters to go, unleashing a ferocious acceleration and rapidly making up ground, and for this effort he was rewarded with third place on the stage, a result that kept him in green. In the general classification, where things continue to be tight, Henrique Bravo remained Soudal Quick-Step’s best placed rider ahead of Sunday’s mountain stage.
Photo credit: ©Okolo Slovenska
