The young Belgian finished third and is now second in the overall standings.
Junior Lecerf made a spectacular jump on the general classification of the Tour de Romandie thanks to a smart move and a strong ride that netted him a maiden World Tour podium. The result elevated him a whooping 33 places in the ranking, where he now sits second with three stages to go, the first of which will be another hilly one, to Cossonay.
Soudal Quick-Step took over the reins in the peloton early during Thursday’s trek around the picturesque town of La Grande Béroche, pushing a steady tempo which then gradually increased in the final 60 kilometers, when the peloton began making inroads into the breakaway’s gap. Our team made the race really hard on the Chaumont, a 3km “wall” averaging a brutal 12%, where the tempo led to a major selection, only twenty riders remaining in the group by the time they arrived at the top.
That was the point where Remco Evenepoel decided to bring the race to life, launching a powerful acceleration that put the group on a string. The Olympic Champion continued to insist on the descent and later, when the road flattened, but the others marked his move, leading to a change of tactic. Around 25 kilometers from the finish, five riders went clear, one of whom was Junior Lecerf. The Belgian, a top ten finisher in the beginning of the season at the UAE Tour, helped the quintet take their advantage to 1:30 inside ten kilometers to go, when the leaders began playing a cat-and-mouse game.
Despite this, they still had enough on the chasers, and after a couple of attacks, the victory went to Lorenzo Fortunato (Astana), who took a flyer in the final 500 meters. Lecerf finished in third place, and is just five seconds off the yellow jersey. Evenepoel led home the chasers, almost a minute behind, moving up to sixth place on the general classification of the Tour de Romandie.
“It was a good day for us. We took responsibility and controlled it, we were always in the front and followed all the moves. Remco tried a couple of times, then I had the opportunity to go for the stage and I gave my best. I’m a bit disappointed to miss out on the win, but at the same time, I’m proud with this result, my first World Tour top three. We’ll see what we can do in the remaining stages, but the confidence is there and we are motivated for more”, Junior said after the stage.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
