Another good day for the Wolfpack, just before Paris.
Pascal Eenkhoorn netted Soudal Quick-Step’s fifth top-three finish at this year’s Tour de France after a huge ride on the penultimate stage, a 184.2km trek from Nantua to Pontarlier. It was the former Dutch Champion’s second podium in a Grand Tour, after his runner-up result two years ago in Bourg-en-Bresse.
Pontarlier made its Grande Boucle debut back in 1928, but until this weekend it hadn’t hosted a finish since 2001, witnessed another victory from the breakaway, one that took more than 30 kilometers to form. When a large group snapped the elastic on the up-and-down roads of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, Pascal Eenkhoorn was there for Soudal Quick-Step.
The powerful Dutchman produced an impressive ride, marking all the important moves, avoiding a crash that took out of the group many of his companions in the last 25 kilometers and pushing admirably through the nagging rain that accompanied the race throughout almost the entire stage. Behind Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who attacked in the closing 16 kilometers and soloed to victory, a regrouping took place, and Pascal dug deep to stay there as the group looked to explode again on the last climb.
Not only that he made it over the top with the others, the 28-year-old still had something left in the legs to zip away under the flamme rouge and take third on the line – a result that came thanks to a fantastic effort and never-die-attitude that speak a lot about his character.
“It was non-stop action today, sticking to the trend of the last three weeks. We kept going once we had a gap, but it was hard in those weather conditions, which also made for an eventful stage. I am content with taking third, it’s a very good result after a long and wearing race. Now that this stage is in the books, I’m really happy that Paris is just twenty-four hours away, as we’re all looking forward to it”, said Pascal after signing off Soudal Quick-Step’s 110th podium at the Tour de France.
Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images
