Czech Tour

Julian Alaphilippe was the first Soudal Quick-Step rider home on the second stage of the race, which scheduled a summit finish on the hard Pustevny, a 7.9km climb averaging 5.9%. The Frenchman, who returned to competition here for the first time since June’s National Championships, was one of the most active riders of the day and concluded sixth, a result which elevated him to the top ten overall.

The two-time World Champion went on the attack early, taking maximum points on the first classified ascent of the day and trying to form a breakaway in what was an action-packed start. The peloton reacted to this move and kept things together for more than 40 kilometers, despite the numerous attempts that came on the hilly terrain. When things eventually settled down, Soudal Quick-Step moved to the front of the bunch to set the tempo behind the four-man group up the road and protect yellow jersey Luke Lamperti, who put in a resilient display, managing to stay there until the first ascent of Pustevny.

Our team continued to push the pace and bring back the escapees, thanks to a stellar work of James Knox and Mattia Cattaneo, while Antoine Huby made sure of bringing Alaphilippe in a good position before the start of the day’s final difficulty. As the gradients kicked up, Julian remained well-placed and kept his calm despite the many accelerations that came, and managed to come home in a strong sixth behind stage winner Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates).

Seventh on the general classification of the Czech Tour, Alaphilippe is the highest-ranked Soudal Quick-Step rider ahead of the race’s second summit finish, on Dlouhe strane.

Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images