Henrique Bravo confirmed his strong shape by finishing fourth overall at the 38th edition of the French race.
Tour de l’Ain ended up being a great race for Soudal Quick-Step, one of the youngest World Tour teams at the start. A top-three finish on the opening day netted by Alberto Dainese, solid rides from our Devo riders, both Henrique Bravo and Said Cisneros in the top ten overall, and the best team of the event prize - everything in just three days of racing.
It was the race that brought the month of July to a conclusion for The Wolfpack, and at the same time, a good opportunity for our young guys to show what they are capable of and punch above their weight against more seasoned riders. Bravo - making his first outing since triumphing at the Giro della Valle d’Aosta - finished as the best South American in an impressive fourth on the GC after being constantly on the attack in the last two stages, which brought plenty of climbing.
“We tried our best today, but it wasn’t possible to make the difference on the Col de Menthières despite our efforts. Then the last climb wasn’t that hard and it all came down to a reduced sprint, where I resorted to the last ounces of energy I still had to get a good result. Finishing just outside the top three it’;s a bit frustrating, but at the same time, I loved being on the podium with the whole team and enjoyed every single second there, because we all worked hard and it was nice to get that award”, Henrique said after the stage.
Once the race concluded, Gil Gelders took to the podium to receive his most combative rider of the day prize before being joined there by his Soudal Quick-Step teammates and sports directors Kevin Hulsmans and Niki Terpstra to celebrate winning the team classification, making it for the second time this season after the Giro di Sardegna, that our squad took this award.
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