Tour of Taihu Lake (2.1, 07-14/10) was closed down on Sunday on the shores of the Taihu Lake. The peloton had to cover 137.5 kilometers from Changxing to Huzhou. Wanty-Groupe Gobert stood for the mission to defend the leader’s jersey of Boris Vallée in the final stage. The advantage on number two was widened in the course of the previous stages. The mission was brilliantly executed by the five teammates by carefully controlling the breakaway. Boris Vallée was ideally launched in the sprint and finished third, good to ensure the overall victory. The Belgian team finishes its UCI road campaign with the final victory, its 1st at debut on Chinese soil and 13th victory of the season on home ground of our Chinese clothing partner Santic.
Boris Vallée:
« The team controlled the race perfectly. Without this fantastic collective work I would never have been able to maintain the leader’s jersey. I lose the green jersey with two points, but that was not the main goal. My teammates gave me all their confidence and I want to thank Wesley, Marco, Mark, Kévin and Jasper warmly for that. »
« I deliberately saved myself for the final sprint. I wanted to save my energy and I could place myself well for the final sprint. At the moment we had three kilometers to go I felt relieved. Then I focused on the sprint. Our train mixed with Willier’s, but Mareczko was simply too fast. »
« I am happy to finish my season on a positive note. I have often put myself at the service of the team, but it feels good to win again. It is a pity that I narrowly missed the win in stage two. But I have no regrets. I can prepare myself serenely for my second season and start on a good basis. I want to show myself from the first races. »
Stage 7 :
1. Jakub Mareczko
2. Juan Sebastian Molano
3. Boris Vallée
52. Wesley Kreder
62. Marco Minnaard
68. Kévin Van Melsen
74. Jasper De Laat
97. Mark McNally
Final GC:
1. Boris Vallée
2. Benjamin Dyball + 0 :15
3. Alexander Cataford
46. Wesley Kreder
47. Kévin Van Melsen
52. Jasper De Laat
54. Marco Minnaard
62. Mark McNally
