Another victory for Lotto Dstny in China. After Lionel Taminiaux won stage one, Lennert Van Eetvelt has now claimed victory in stage five of the Gree-Tour of Guangxi. Van Eetvelt was the fastest in the queen stage, which finished with a steep climb. He is also the new leader in the general classification. “I am so happy with this win.”
“I didn’t feel very good at first today. But when the team wants to work for you, you can’t complain, and you just have to give it everything you’ve got,” Lennert Van Eetvelt said after the race. And that’s exactly what he did. Today’s stage in the Tour of Guangxi featured the first mountain stage, between Yizhou and Nongla. The stage was marked by an early breakaway of four riders, but thanks to the efforts of teams like Lotto Dstny, the gap gradually shrank as they approached the final climb. “When Tim Wellens attacked, I thought today wasn’t going to be my day. But the last kilometer is so tough (the final 1.2 kilometers have an average gradient of 14.8%, ed.), and I know how to keep my own pace on such sections, so I just kept going.”
Van Eetvelt had already announced last weekend in Lombardy that he wanted to end his season on a high note after being forced to withdraw from the Vuelta. He finished a strong seventh in Italy and now gets to celebrate a major victory in China. “I am so happy with this win,” he said, relieved.
Van Eetvelt is also the new leader in the GC. Lionel Taminiaux is fourth in the points classification. Tomorrow, Sunday, is the sixth and final stage of the Gree-Tour of Guangxi.
