Team News: Win for Gilbert in Luxembourg

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Phillipe Gilbert won BMC Racing Team’s second stage of the Tour de Luxembourg winning a hectic uphill finish into Schifflange (stage 2)

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Team News: Win for Gilbert in Luxembourg

The day’s breakaway were kept in control by the peloton, with the gap never reaching above four minutes. They started to come under pressure from the peloton with 40 kilometers to go and after a a strong turn at the front from BMC Racing Team they were caught inside the final 20 kilometers.

With the peloton regrouped, the riders headed for their final test of the day with Gilbert coming out on top after the short, sharp 400m climb. Jempy Drucker was involved in a unfortunately timed crash heading onto the start of the final climb which saw him slip out of contention on the General Classification, which is now being led by Maurits Lammertink (Roompot – Oranje Peloton).

Winner’s Interview with Philippe Gilbert

Congratulations, Phil. How do you feel after your stage win?
Gilbert: “I am really happy to win especially after a long break and all the problems that I’ve had. It’s an important win for me.”

It was a hectic final climb today, were you aware of what was going on behind you?
Gilbert: “I heard on the radio that Jempy had crashed but at this point at the race, there is nothing that you can do to help. We really rode well today as a team so it is disappointing for him.”

Going into tomorrow’s stage, are you feeling confident after today?
Gilbert: “In the professional cycling world, there are no little races so it is always important to win. I am now sitting second on GC, nine seconds behind, so if Lammertink is smart he can definitely win the race but we will see.”

Sport director, Jackson Stewart said: “It was a bittersweet day for us today. The guys did a great job at controlling the race all day and then in the final we were able to get Jempy [Drucker] and Phillippe [Gilbert] into a good position going into the bottom of the climb. Unfortunately in the shuffling for positions, Jempy was knocked down and broke his bike and that meant that he lost a lot of time and the GC. Ahead of him Phil [Gilbert] was riding really strong and he definitely saved the day for us by taking the stage victory.”

Jempy Drucker said: “The guys did a super good job all day and I was really thankful for that. Heading onto the final climb, I was super motivated was holding onto Phil’s wheel but then I got knocked and crashed into the barriers. It obviously disappointing to have lost the leader’s jersey but it was a great experience to wear yellow, especially in Luxembourg, and I am really happy that Phil could go on and take the win today.”

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