News
Double success: Meeus in front in Dunkerque, Pithie defends Pink
The 4 Jours de Dunkerque end for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe just as they began: With a stage win. Jordi Meeus won the final stage ahead of Danny van Poppel in a bunch sprint.
In addition, Laurence Pithie defended the pink jersey, which he had taken with his victory on the first stage of the tour and never relinquished.
Laurence is the most consistent and versatile professional in the peloton to win the tour. After winning the uphill sprint at the start, he also won the sprint of the peloton on the flat behind a four-man breakaway group. On the third day, the New Zealander proved his cobblestone classics qualities when he finished second on the Paris-Roubaix cobbles in Arenberg. He spent the long finale of the fourth stage in the wind, as the competition offered little support in the chase for the breakaway.
Laurence Pithie wins the 4 days of Dunkirk
© Getty Images
First overall victory for Laurence Pithie
On the final day, Laurence then showed that he can also deal with setbacks. Neither a crash early in the race nor a defect shortly before the finish could rob him of the well-deserved reward of a week in northern France, which brought the 23-year-old his first victory in a stage race. In addition to the pink jersey for the overall winner, Laurence also took home the jerseys for the best young pro and the best points scorer.
Jordi then sweetened the week for the team with another success. In Dunkirk, he celebrated his second victory of the season with absolute superiority in the bunch sprint after 181 kilometres. Danny, his rider, also managed second place.
Jordi Meeus: "I'm super happy that I managed this today. But Danny also did a great job in setting me up for victory. I'm delighted that he also managed to finish second himself and that we were able to deliver a perfect end to the week for the team."
We had a lot of pressure and a lot of bad luck, but we managed to keep our heads up.
Laurence Pithie: "It's my first overall win, so I'm really happy about that. It was a tough week, but the guys did a really good job. We knew from stage 1 that it was going to be a difficult week to control because of the strong teams. And yes, we had a lot of stress and a lot of bad luck, but we managed to keep our heads up."
Cesare Benedetti, Sports Director: "There was a major crash at the start of the stage, in which Laurence was also involved. Fortunately, he was able to carry on with only minor injuries and after a bike change. Then, of course, our aim was not only to secure the overall classification, but also to win the stage with Jordi.When Laurence then suffered a mechanical four kilometres from the finish, there was a brief moment of panic. But fortunately, Callum Thornley reacted very quickly and gave Laurence his bike. And in the sprint, Jordi and Danny were still able to take the win. It’s a fantastic result to end the week on."
