Aurélien Paret-Peintre almost lands on the podium of Liege-Bastogne-Liege: "I was on a bit of an equal footing with Mathieu Van der Poel at the start and it was a close call"

After a great team performance by Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team at Tour of the Alps where Aurélien Paret-Peintre grabbed a stage on the final day, it was the 28-year-old's chance to show his strength at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. And it goes without saying that with a fifth place in the sprint, it was more than decent day for the Frenchman.

"We had a traditional scenario. The headwind blocked the race a bit, but I got up the hills quickly," he begins the story in press release. "I felt good in La Redoute at the end of the race. But after that climb, I rode into a hole and got a puncture. I had to change bike, but I didn't give up."

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"I did well because I was back in the group with five kilometers to go. After that, the team decided to sprint as best we could. I tried my luck with 250-300 metres to go, I was on a bit of an equal footing with Mathieu Van der Poel at the start and it was a close call at the line. In the end, I came fifth, which was a great day."