Soudal Quick-Step’s Belgian impresses in nail-biting finale.
Jonathan Vervenne put in a gutsy ride and a massive show of strength on the third stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, his effort and persistence making for a spectacular finale, maybe the most thrilling since the start of the season.
The 22-year-old Giro Next Gen stage winner, who is only a few weeks into his first pro season, joined a dangerous move that came to life on a long descent, inside the last 20 kilometers, and thanks also to his commitment and time trial skills, the quartet built a nice lead of almost half a minute as they approached the outskirts of San Vicente de Raspeig.
Going under the flamme rouge, things continued to remain promising for the leaders, but they soon began a game of cat and mouse, and this helped the strung-out peloton to cut the gap to just ten seconds on the finishing straight. The catch seemed imminent at that point, but one last push at the front from Jonathan helped the attackers hold off the chasers. Vervenne took fourth place, behind stage winner Andrew August (Ineos Grenadiers), a fantastic result for the Belgian neo-pro, who impressed with his never-say-die attitude in closing kilometers of the day.
“Our team’s plan was to attack in the final five kilometers, but other guys went earlier, and it was Lampi who told me to jump and go after him, which I did. It was quite the effort to join them, but I managed to do that. Not everyone collaborated in the finale, but I kept going and even tried to attack. Unfortunately, the legs were empty. It’s a good result, could have been better, but I learned some valuable things today and this brings me a lot of satisfaction”, Jonathan said after the stage.
Photo credit: ©Szymon Gruchalski / Getty Images
