At the halfway point of the Tour of Guangxi, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe is right on track in the stage race through southern China. Filip Maciejuk, in particular, has been in the spotlight during the first three stages.
The final stage race of the year – the Tour of Guangxi traditionally holds a special place in the WorldTour calendar. For riders and teams, the six-day stage race is the last chance of the season to collect points for the WorldTour ranking before the long winter break begins.
With Emanuel Buchmann, Emil Herzog, Luis-Joe Lührs, Maximilian Schachmann (all from Germany), Giovanni Aleotti (Italy), Alexander Hajek (Austria), and Filip Maciejuk (Poland), Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe sent a strong lineup to China. The goal: a top result in the overall classification. “Giovanni and Max, in particular, are here to perform well in the GC,” explains Shane Archbold, the team’s Sports Director on site.
On the opening stages, however, it was another Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe athlete who took the spotlight: Filip Maciejuk. The Pole was part of the breakaway on the second stage, leading the race for an impressive 179 kilometers before being caught just 500 meters from the finish line. Thanks to bonus seconds picked up along the way, he also claimed the white jersey for the best young rider for a day. “Even though we just missed the victory, I’m happy to wear a classification jersey at the end of the season,” Maciejuk said at the finish. Archbold is equally pleased: “The plan was to get in the break and fight for the stage win. Although the group was caught, Filip maximized his effort on the day.”
After stage three, Maciejuk had to hand back the white jersey, but Archbold sees his team well on track for their big goals at this year’s Tour of Guangxi: “Both of our leaders are within striking distance in the general classification. Tomorrow and on the fifth day, the race will be decided. Especially the mountain finish the day after tomorrow will be the real test,” he explains. The Tour of Guangxi ends on Sunday.
Photo: Sprint Cycling Agency