Gil Gelders takes home the prize for the most combative rider on the last stage.
For the second year in a row, Junior Lecerf concluded the Tour de Romandie as the best-placed Belgian rider, signing off the third top ten of his career in a World Tour race. The 23-year-old enjoyed a consistent week in Switzerland, racking up a hat-trick of top ten stage finishes before the last day of racing, which culminated with the only mountain top finish of this edition, on Leysin.
Lecerf benefitted from a great effort of Valentin Paret-Peintre in the closing kilometers of the 178.2km stage 5, when the race came to life after several attacks of the GC men. The Frenchman paced him until inside the last kilometer, which featured a steep kicker to the line, and the Belgian emptied himself there in order to defend his place in the overall standings.
I can be satisfied with my result and with the way the team supported me this week on the climbs.
“The last ascent today didn’t quite suit me, but luckily, I had Valentin to help me there and close a gap one kilometer from the finish. The last part was steep and I lost contact there; it’s a pity this happened, but it is as it is. I came here to fight for a good overall result, and in the end, I think I can be happy with what we achieved. We had some nice results here, we were there in the top five or top ten in a race with a very high level, and we always did our best”, Junior said after taking his first GC top ten of the season.
Soudal Quick-Step was again present on the podium of the 79th Tour de Romandie; after Louis Vervaeke on Saturday, this time it was Gil Gelders who collected the prize for the most combative rider of the stage. The young Belgian spent close to 150 kilometers in the breakaway, winning all three intermediate sprints, before being reeled in by the peloton on the final ascent.
“It was a nice, and at the same time hard stage, and I am happy to have spent it at the front of the race. Romandie has been a demanding race, but I tried to do my best and help the team whenever possible. This combativity award is a nice way to cap off the week”, Gil said.
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