"A first win of the season is always nice" - Marc Hirschi happy as he returns to winning ways at the Tour de Hongrie

UAE Team Emirates's Marc Hirschi secured his first win of the season on stage 3 of the Tour de Hongrie, taking the overall lead of the race in the process.

"It was a difficult day," the 24-year-old revealed in a post-stage interview. “We really drove full throttle in the run-up to the final climb, with the aim of starting well positioned. Then INEOS Grenadiers also pushed hard, after which their leader Ben Tulett started very early."

Whilst Tulett faded, eventually finishing runner-up, 8 seconds behind Hirschi, the Swiss rider continued to put the hammer down at the front of the race. "At first I could only follow. At one point everyone was on the limit. That seemed like a good time to attack," he explains. "I think that I made the difference mainly mentally."

"A first win of the season is always nice. I am really very happy with it," he continues. "It feels very good. Another tough day is coming. So it is certainly not decided yet." Hirschi now holds a 10 second lead in the general classification over the INEOS leader, Tulett.