Big win for GRENKE - Auto Eder. At the Belgian stage race Aubel-Thimister-Stavelot, team rider Lorenzo Finn took the overall victory. The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe U19 team also dominated by winning the team classification, the youth classification, the points classification, and the sprint jersey.
The Belgian stage race Aubel-Thimister-Stavelot has been a classic in the international junior racing calendar for years. This year, the three-day long-distance race was held for the 58th time, once again featuring a top-class field of participants. Not only the best U19 teams from Belgium were at the start of the race held from August 2nd to 4th, but also several youth teams from WorldTour squads.
The riders of GRENKE - Auto Eder showed their strength from the very beginning. Among others, German rider Paul Fietzke finished fifth in the opening stage. On the second day, Lorenzo Finn (Italy) reinforced that the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe U19 selection is one of the best teams in the peloton by taking second place. Finn was also the one to decide the race on the third day: on the tough course around Stavelot, with 2,800 meters of climbing over 108 kilometres, he achieved a solo victory, ensuring the overall win after three days.
This wasn’t the only success for the team from Raubling: Noah Lindholm Møller Andersen (Denmark) finished fourth overall, capping off an outstanding performance. The team also won the team classification, the youth classification (Noah Lindholm Møller Andersen), the points classification (Lorenzo Finn), and the sprint jersey (Paul Fietzke). Following a training period, the next race for the GRENKE - Auto Eder riders will be on August 24th and 25th at the 2 Giorni di Vertova race weekend in Italy.
Quotes
“I’m thrilled to have secured my first overall win in the U19 category. This boosts my confidence for the remainder of the season, particularly for the road race at the World Championships, which will take place on a similarly demanding course.” – Lorenzo Finn
“The boys executed our tactics perfectly. Lorenzo showed exceptional strength and deservedly won the overall. But I also want to highlight the other riders: after the team time trial on the morning of the second day, which didn’t go well for us, everyone showed great morale and fought back well. We can build on this performance in the upcoming races.” – Florian Wallner, Sportlicher Leiter
Photo: www.fleche-ardennaise.be