A great display of team spirit helped Junior Lecerf keep his position in the general classification top ten.
Junior Lecerf will enter the final day of the Tour de Romandie in ninth place overall, after a strong ride from his side and a selfless effort of Soudal Quick-Step teammate Remco Evenepoel, who was there to help him in a crucial moment on the most important climb of the race, when the going got tough.
Thyon 2000, a 20.8km regular climb averaging 7.6%, made an appearance for just the fourth time on the route of the Swiss race, and it came as no surprise that the favourites showed early their intentions on the winding roads taking to an altitude of 2090 meters. With eight kilometers to go, just as white jersey wearer Junior Lecerf was being distanced following an injection of pace at the front, Evenepoel dropped back and paced his countryman, working hard in order to help him limit the losses. That considerable effort, while braving the rain and the low temperatures, wasn’t for nothing, as it helped Lecerf conclude in the top ten the stage won by Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), who became the new leader of the Tour de Romandie.
“I still have a lot of work to do, I think that is clear after this week, but there’s no need to panic. We couldn’t hold the pace halfway through the climb, so we rode our own tempo. I asked Junior what pace he wanted and we continued like this all the way to the top. Junior is well-placed in the standings and we’ll see what we can do tomorrow, when we will once again try to give our best”, said the Olympic Champion.
In the standings, Lecerf is now an impressive fifth, while Remco sits in ninth place. The race concludes on Sunday, in Geneva, with a 17.1km individual time trial, which can still bring some changes to the general classification.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
