The fourth team win in as many days for RadioShack-Leopard didn’t come without controversy. Bob Jungels took the stage four victory in the Skoda Tour de Luxembourg on Sunday, initially winning the white jersey for best young rider, too. But a complaint filed by team Blanco made a few changes to the final results.
Jungels: “In the second to last lap Hondo pulled for me to make an attack and I was close to his left side. When he dropped off, he took his right hand to motion for me to go and I took off but I didn’t take his hand.”
The initial complaint of Jungels receiving a track-style hand sling from teammate Danilo Hondo was awarded a 10-second time penalty as well as a 200 euro fine, but he was allowed to keep the stage win. The time penalty took Jungels out of the white jersey as best young rider and off the final podium.
Jungels: “We saw yesterday that Jan and I were the strongest on the climbs. Today I had Danilo at my side. On the second to last lap I told Jan to do the beginning of the climb fast and then there was a part where it was more flat and I was with Hondo. I attacked and passed the others, going full gas on the last lap alone. That last lap was really hard. I put the big chain ring on and went as hard as I could before the climb. At 50m to go I saw Martens on my wheel. I tried to accelerate away but I couldn’t. I missed the overall by three seconds. We tried everything but Blanco was really strong. I think we showed great team effort here in Luxembourg and we can be really happy with winning three stages in five days.” Second place went to Paul Martens (Blanco) with RSLT teammate Jan Bakelants taking third on the stage and Martens winning the classification for the race, ahead of Jonathan Hivert (Sojasun) at 4 seconds and Jan Bakelants (at 6 seconds).
Stage 4 in the Skoda Tour de Luxembourg was from Mersch to Luxembourg at 143.6 km and consisted of 5 local laps with steep climb to the finish. Teammate Jan Bakelants explained the team strategy: “The plan was to send Bob on the second to last lap. There was some hesitation in the peloton so he got a gap. On the last climb I was up to do the sprint in case Bob was brought back. In the end I finished in the wheel of Martens, but at least he couldn’t pass Bob and we won the stage.”
All week the team has been under the direction of José Azevedo: “I am a very happy team director. It would have been better to win the GC of course. That was our main goal. But the team worked so well together this week. There was good team spirit and we’ve won three out of five stages. I’m happy and proud.” After two stage wins on Friday and Saturday, Giacomo Nizzolo won the blue jersey of the points leader.
Jungels, 20, has been hailed the past few years as an emerging young talent in cycling. Earlier this year in his neo-pro year he won the GP Nobili by a wide 53-second margin from a successful breakaway. Seriously taking up the sport at age 17, Jungels took the silver medal at the 2009 Juniors European Time Trial Championships, and then won the Juniors World Time Trial Championship the following year. Prior to turning professional, he won the 2012 Paris-Roubaix U23, overall in Flèche du Sud, the Luxembourg national U23 time trial championships and a stage in the Giro della Valle d’Aosta Mont Blanc.
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