Okolo Slovenska / Tour de Slovaquie

Julian Alaphilippe took his second victory of the season in spectacular fashion, attacking in the technical last kilometer of Okolo Slovenska stage three – which concluded in the small town of Dubnica nad Vahom – and arriving alone at the finish, where he celebrated the 43rd win of his illustrious career.

It was a move that reminded of his victory in Jesi, at the 2019 Tirreno-Adriatico, only this time the Frenchman’s attack came much early, as he took advantage of the sinuous final kilometer of Friday’s stage to open a gap which he carried until the end. Alaphilippe, the 2018 winner of Okolo Slovenska, was followed on the stage and joined on the podium by neo-pro teammate Paul Magnier, who rounded out our squad’s excellent day.

Following this success in the country of our sponsor Janom, the race’s green jersey landed on the shoulders of Julian, who also moved up to second on the general classification, just ten seconds off first place, ahead of Saturday’s hilly stage to Ruzomberok.

“I am delighted I could keep the tradition going and make it seven consecutive years that we won at least a stage in Okolo Slovenska. The guys did a fantastic job today, and in the finale, I just felt it was a good opportunity to try something and surprise the others. I went all-out and I’m happy I could pull it off. The fact that we finished 1-2 makes it even more beautiful. I made a nice jump in the standings after this win, but I’m not thinking of the GC at the moment. We will continue to take it one day at a time and see where we stand on Sunday”, said Alaphilippe after Soudal Quick-Step’s 15th stage victory in Slovakia.

Photo credit: ©Sona Nikova