Team News РJungels wins Etoile de Bess̬ges

2014_June_PictonCycles_Banner.jpg

Team Trek’s Bob Jungels laid claim to the stage win and with it the final leader’s jersey in Etoile de Bessèges

RST Cycle Clothing & Trigon Bikes

Team News РJungels wins Etoile de Bess̬ges

NOTE: Send your results as well as club, team & event news here

It was a nervous final day at the Etoile de Bessèges Sunday with the 11.9-kilometer time trial set to decide the overall winner, and when the last rider crossed the line Trek Factory Racing’s Bob Jungels laid claim to the stage win and with it the final leader’s jersey.

It was Jungels, 22, first professional stage race victory, and also the first win of the year for Trek Factory Racing. The Luxembourger blazed through the tough race against the clock in a time of 17:40, a full 19 seconds faster than Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal), and 20 seconds ahead of Trek Factory Racing teammate Fabio Felline.

“It’s special, I don’t feel it yet, I am still tired,” added Jungels, still showing the strain of his winning effort. “I think it will take time to sink in. It was not a huge race, but it was hard and it’s never bad to have a victory – especially the first one in the season. And, for me I was working super hard this winter, and it’s nice to be rewarded for that.

“I felt good already in the warm up. I was confident about my power, and I was calm before the start and not nervous at all. After two minutes I looked at my SRM power and saw good numbers. But I could also tell because your body has an internal clock, and I could feel that I was going well.”

Riccardo Zoidl was an early starter and capped off a strong Trek Factory Racing display in the tough time trial with fourth place, one second slower than Felline, and 21 seconds behind Jungels.

“We had a real good reference from Riccardo (Zoidl), which helped a lot,” Bob continued. “The last 1.5 kilometers was hard, pretty steep, but I knew that I could take time in the flat already so it was not a big concern. When I reached the final uphill I knew I had a good gap and I just had to manage my pace to the top. Then in the last 500 meters I went all out.”

Jungels’ time was enough to stake out the final overall win by nine seconds over Tony Gallopin, with Lotto-Soudal teammate Kris Boeckmans holding onto the podium to take third.

The time trial course was not long at just under 12 kilometers, but what it lacked in length it made up for with a punishing three kilometer climb to the finish line. Trek Factory Racing sport director Alain Gallopin described the tactics used for the tough uphill finish:

“Bob had 20 seconds on Riccardo [Zoidl] at the start of the final climb and he kept the same gap by the top, and it was the same with my nephew Tony [Gallopin], he also held the same gap from bottom to top. We decided to not take any risks in the final climb, just to keep the same rhythm, and that worked out perfect. The climb was around three kilometers, it started gradual but then got really steep. At the top it was very, very difficult and if you go too hard from the bottom you can pay in the last part.”

“I am very, very happy because it’s never easy to control a race, especially when you don’t have the leader’s jersey, “added a clearly elated Alain Gallopin.“But I knew from the start that Bob [Jungels] could win the overall, and after all the hard work by the team this week they really deserve this.”

Send your results as well as club, team & event news here

Other Results on VeloUK (including reports containing results)

Other News on VeloUK

Tags: ,