He was expected, and he responded. Cited as the main favorite to win at the top of the climb Nongla Scenic Area (3.3 km at 6.6%), end of the 5th stage of the Gree-Tour de Guangxi, Lennert Van Eetvelt did not hesitate to reward the excellent work of his team Lottery Dstny throughout the day. The young Belgian was patient to produce his effort as late as possible in the final climb, knowing that the last kilometer was by far the hardest with an average slope close to 15%. Perfectly seated in the wheelOscar Onley (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) when the Briton accelerated to return to Victor Lafay (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), “LVE” then brought his punch to knock him out and achieve a 4th success this season, the first since his triumph on theUAE Tour.
Video – Lennert Van Eetvelt, winner of this 5th stage
“I didn’t feel very good at first, but…”
“I’m so happy with this victory“, said Lennert Van Eetvelt in the press release published by the Belgian team after the arrival. “I didn’t feel very well at first today (Saturday). But when the team wants to work for you, you can’t complain and you have to give it your all. When Tim Wellens attacked (2 miles from the summit, editor’s note), I thought it wouldn’t be my day. But the last mile is so hard, and I know how to keep my pace on those sections, so I kept going“. Now overall leader with a 5” margin over Onley, Van Eetvelt looks set to land a second World Tour stage race in 2024.
