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Lennert Van Eetvelt surges to summit victory on stage 5 of Tour of Guangxi

Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Dstny) surged to victory on stage 5 of the Gree-Tour of Guangxi, claiming the all-important summit victory on Saturday and in the process capturing the overall race lead.

Van Eetvelt put down the power as the summit finish drew ever nearer, claiming the win by taking off on Oscar Onley (DSM Firmenich-PostNL). Onley came second after the pair caught and then quickly blew past Victor Lafay (Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale) when the line was tantalisingly close. Lafay then pushed onto the line with his teammate Alex Baudin, who was third, while Lafay had to settle for fourth.

“I didn’t feel very good at first today,” Van Eetvelt said in a Lotto-Dstny media statement. “But when the team wants to work for you, you can’t complain, and you just have to give it everything you’ve got.”

The first big attack in the final stages of the climb came from UAE Team Emirates rider Tim Wellens within the final two kilometres, with Lafay linking on and then riding on by.

Van Eetvelt’s win on the decisive GC stage put the 23-year-old in the red leaders jersey with Onley five seconds back and Baudin 15 seconds behind with just one stage to go. As a result, it looks like Van Eetvelt, who started the season with the overall win at the UAE Tour, could bookend his 2024 season with WorldTour GC wins. 

Lotto pushed the pace at the front, trying to set up the final move for Lennert Van Eetvelt, on the decisive category 1 finishing climb to Nongla – a 3.2km ascent with a gradient averaging 6.3%. It was, however, Wellens who first took advantage, launching at around 1.5km to go and Victor Lafay (Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale) quickly jumped on his wheel and then took off solo. 

“The boys rode really well today controlling the break and positioning myself and Max into the climb,” Onley said in a statement. “On the climb it just came down to the legs for the both of us. I’m happy to come away with the second place and pick up another consistent result after a long season.”

SOURCE: CyclingNews   (go to source)
AUTHOR: simone.giuliani@futurenet.com
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