Tour de Hongrie

Fabio Jakobsen produced an incredible kick to win stage 2 of the Tour of Hungary Thursday afternoon. The European Champion came out of nowhere in the last 200 meters before leaving behind all the other sprinters for his third victory of the season, after the ones in Vuelta a San Juan and Tirreno-Adriatico.

It was a miserable day in Hungary, with rain and slippery roads that made the riders extra cautious, but this didn’t stop Soudal Quick-Step from moving to the front of the peloton and chasing the breakaway together with the other squads that were keen on having the stage conclude in a mass gallop. The escapees, despite enjoying a maximum advantage of five minutes, were easily reeled in around 15 kilometers from the finish, leaving the sprinters’ teams to take center stage.

A winner of two stages at his previous participation here – when he took home also the points jersey – Fabio remained hidden on the finishing straight, making his move down the middle of the road only with the line in sight. Three bike lengths separated him from the other riders who rounded out the podium, so powerful was his acceleration in Keszthely.

“We controlled the stage with Tim and then with Fausto, before Casper and Yves picked up for the last kilometers. There was a small uphill part there and we had a great positioning until the rest of the peloton came and closed us in. Then I found myself a bit far and had to search for a gap, which I managed to find”, said a happy Fabio, who took over the yellow jersey after this victory. “It’s a nice win and I’m delighted that I had the legs to bring it. Leading the race is a bonus and I will try to enjoy my day in yellow and survive the climbs of the next two days before switching my attention to the Budapest stage.”

Photo credit: ©Tour de Hongrie – Zoltán Tuba

                         ©Tour de Hongrie – Zoltán Vanik