Steff Cras spent the day in the breakaway that came just short of fighting for victory.
Soudal Quick-Step will head into the weekend with renewed confidence following the team’s solid display on the fourth day of racing in Switzerland, which took the peloton around Orbe, a small town in the canton of Vaud, known since Roman times.
Steff Cras was one of the day’s main animators, spending over 150 kilometers in a breakaway that seemed doom from the outset, yet ultimately put up quite a fight and made the peloton work hard in order to reel them in. On the last climb, the Belgian was dropped from the lead group, but after a great ride on the descent, he returned at the front just as the road flattened, and together with his two companions, continued to push a solid tempo in the last 20 kilometers.
I enjoyed being in the break today. I felt better than in the previous days, so I decided to give it a try.
“I ended up in a small group, and despite not having a big advantage, we believed in our chances. The three of us worked well there, and even though the chasers caught us, I think I can take a lot of heart from this stage. We are determined to continue like this in the next two days of racing”, Steff – who was one of the race’s most combative riders – said.
The catch occurred merely 2.5 kilometers from the finish by a peloton which upped the tempo and rode at full throttle in the closing part of this stage, where our team continued to remain in the spotlight. Both Valentin Paret-Peintre and Junior Lecerf got involved in the sprint against riders faster than them, on paper at least, and the former claimed an impressive third, while his Belgian teammate rolled over the line in seventh place.
“It was another good day for us. The stage was fast, as the peloton chased hard the breakaway, where Steff did a really great job. He was strong and almost made it today. In the sprint, I felt even better than yesterday, and I’m glad I could end up on the podium. I feel that I’m improving with each stage and I hope I can continue on this upward trajectory”, Valentin said after his second podium of the season.
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