Relatively disappointing the day before (4th) on a finish which suited him perfectly, Julian Alaphilippe made up for it this Friday by winning the 3rd stage of the Tour of Slovakia ! On paper, the finale in the streets of Dubnica nad Vahom did not necessarily suit him and seemed destined for a sprinter. But the last kilometers were so technical (even dangerous), with many turns, that the Frenchman was able to take advantage of his team’s hard work Soudal Quick-Step to attack in the last few hundred meters and make the difference in a fragmented peloton.
Video – Julian Alaphilippe celebrates his 2nd success of the season
Soudal Quick-Step double, Alaphilippe gets closer overall
All in power, Alaphilippe managed to get off his wheel Hamish Beadle (Team Novo Nordisk) and to resist the return of its competitors, to win alone. Following all his turns in the last kilometers, the runners almost arrived one by one on the line and it was the teammate and compatriot ofAlaphilippe, Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), who took 3rd place, just ahead of Hamish Beadle (Team Novo Nordisk).
Thanks to these breaks, the former double World Champion is within 10 seconds in the general classification of the leader and winner of the day before. Anders Foldager (Jayco AlUla). The provisional podium is completed by Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), 13 seconds from the lead.
