The Frenchman took his sixth top-ten of the season on the second stage of the Swiss race.
Valentin Paret-Peintre came close to a podium finish on Thursday, when the Tour de Romandie travelled from Rue to Vucherens. The 25-year-old from Annemasse got in the mix against some of the peloton’s fast men, after teammate Junior Lecerf attacked and stretched out the peloton in the closing 500 meters of stage two.
In what is his first stage race since the Volta a Catalunya, where he finished an impressive fourth overall, Paret-Peintre rode a smart finale, always in a good position but without coming to the front before it really mattered. The Frenchman made his presence noticed only with 150 meters to go, when he produced a strong turn of legs to take fifth place behind yellow jersey Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), who scored another victory in Switzerland.
It wasn’t quite that difficult today, but in the final kilometers things became fast and hard, as we took on some short climbs and the peloton increased the tempo.
“Junior helped me there and I could show my speed and sprint to a solid top five. I feel better after yesterday’s stage and I’m really looking forward to the weekend. I want to help Junior in the general classification, but I’ll also see if there will be any opportunities”, Valentin said after the stage at the end of which Lecerf moved up a place in the standings.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
