The final stage of the Tour of Slovenia traversed through the southwest of the country, from Trebnje to Novo Mesto. On the 167.5km-long route, the riders encountered two third-category climbs, the last of which, an ascent of 5 km with a gradient of 8.6 per cent, came 30km before the finish. The route subsequently dipped downhill until arriving at a flat section before the finish line. BORA – hansgrohe took to the start today without Pascal Ackermann, with the German champion having to forego the stage due to health problems. Making the race somewhat more difficult today was also the inclement weather conditions. Although the rain didn’t discourage a small breakaway group to go clear early in the race, the trio was never afforded more than four minutes and with 55 km remaining, they were absorbed by the main field. It didn’t take long for four riders to attack and gain a small advantage on the peloton, however, they too were reeled back in on the final climb. In the meantime, BORA – hansgrohe came to the front end of the peloton as the main field began to thin out on the last ascent. Mitchelton-SCOTT took up the responsibility for setting the pace in the field during the descent, and at that time a relatively large group, including Shane Archbold and Oscar Gatto, was able to break free. By the first passage through the finish line in Novo Mesto, the leaders had over a minute’s lead. By the flamme rouge, Shane and Oscar were riding near the front, but Shane was forced to change his line and brake because of movements ahead of him in the sprint, and therefore lost his position somewhat. However, he still managed to take third place behind the stage winner G. Nizzolo.
Result
01 G. Nizzolo 4:01:55
02 L. Mezgec +0:00
03 S. Archbold +0:00
From the finish line
“It was a shame that Pascal became sick. However, Erik and I were still motivated to produce a good result. In the end, only Oscar and I were left in the first group, and so we did our utmost to mix it up in the final sprint. Oscar rode a good leadout for me, but in the corner I was forced to change my line and brake, and I lost speed and position as a result. That was a shame, because as a leadout rider, I don’t get many opportunities to ride for good results myself. However, in a hectic sprint finale, we can be happy with third place.”
– Shane Archbold
“We had to change our plans, with Pascal not being able to take to the start. It was of course a shame, however, we implemented a flexible strategy. We were to support the fastest rider today who was in the front group, because we knew that this stage would be difficult for the pure sprinters. In the end, Shane took an outstanding third place, and with this result he proved that he really deserves his return to the team. He showed his ability and class in the finale and Oscar also did a fantastic job to bring him into an optimal position. We can be happy with today’s result, and also the win from Pascal on the first stage. So in general, we can be satisfied with the overall performance of the team at the Tour of Slovenia.”
– Christian Poemer, Sports Director
