The Belgian’s effort paid dividends at the end of the first real test of the World Tour race.
The first of two important back-to-back mountain stages had as centerpiece the Splügenpass, an 8.8km climb averaging 7.3% that was sure to provide a huge shake-up of the general classification, where things were pretty much unchanged since Sunday’s opening stage.
It was on the punishing first-category ascent that the big moves came, as soon as the breakaway was brought back. When the first major selection was made, Ilan Van Wilder booked a place in that group, where he remained until three kilometers to the top, when an attack of Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) helped the Portuguese put some daylight between him and the other riders and start the descent to Piuro alone at the head of the race.
Behind, Ilan began tackling the long descent around one minute behind the lone leader, but the chasers worked well together and by the time they arrived in the valley, they were trailing by just 40 seconds. The finish wasn’t completely flat, averaging 2.8% over 2.6 kilometers, and this played into Van Wilder favour, as the 25-year-old accelerated on the last part to gain some time on the others and take seventh – a well-deserved reward after a hard day of racing. Thanks to this, Soudal Quick-Step’s rider enjoyed a surge up the rankings, where he now lurks just outside the top ten having started the day in 24th place.
“The start was full gas today and we rode incredibly fast before the climb as a lot of riders tried to go in the breakaway. When a small group went, it became clear everything would be decided on the climb. There, I paced my effort and managed to stay with the most important group. I can be content with the way I raced today, I moved up in the standings and I hope I won’t stop here, because in the next days there should be more opportunities”, Ilan said after the finish.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images
