After a stunning ride, the 25-year-old extended his reign in the national jersey for twelve more months.
Three days after claiming the victory in the individual time trial, Bob Jungels produced another dominant show of strength, surging to his fifth national road race title, one that ensured the fourth double at the National Championships for the 25-year-old Luxembourger, who next weekend will be at the start of the 105th Tour de France.
A furious double-pronged attack of the Wirtgen brothers stole the show in the first 40 kilometers, especially as the duo managed to leave the peloton two minutes in arrears, before Jungels decided to take the matter into his own hands and chase down the leaders, who he caught with incredible ease. Instead of taking a moment of respite, Bob accelerated one more time, dropping Luc Wirtgen; then, together with Tom, nudged their advantage to four minutes, at which point he decided to drop his countryman and go solo, with more than 50 kilometers left.
The circuit around Redange was peppered with eight short hills, but these couldn't stop Jungels from stamping his authority on the race and increasing the advantage over the chasers, who soon realized they will fight for the minor podium places, which were seized by Alex Kirsch (WB Aqua Protect) and Tom Thill (Team Differdange). Bob arrived solo at the finish, having plenty of time to celebrate, 14 minutes to be more precise, this being by far the most dominant of his five wins in the road race.
"I am happy that I get to show this great jersey for 12 more months on some of the biggest races in the world, starting with the Tour de France, next week, for which I am extremely motivated. I felt very strong today, that's why I didn't get worried when Tom and Luc opened a two-minute gap, and remained calm, just following my plan, which culminated with this nice solo win. Every victory is important and brings you a certain degree of satisfaction, and today isn't any different", Bob said after bringing the 47th win of Quick-Step Floors this year, a stunning double-digit figure no other team has achieved by July 1st this century.
Photo credit: ©Cyclingpix by Serge Waldbillig
