Axel Laurance on final sprint in fourth stage of CRO Race - "I knew I was faster, so I went into my sprint with confidence. I gave everything until the line"

It is a memorable day for Axel Laurance. He finally took his first professional victory in stage four of the CRO Race by beating Jonathan Milan and Matej Mohoric in the sprint.

"I was in Mohoric's wheel, and I knew I was faster, so I went on," he said. The rain made the final kilometres very tricky, and the riders had to be careful of wet tracks. "It was really very slippery because of the rain. I tried to be in a good position the whole last lap, to start the sprint well," Laurance said.

He continues, "Going into the last kilometre, someone went to the ground. I was well positioned, which allowed me to follow to Matej Mohoric's wheel. I knew I was faster, so I went into my sprint with confidence. I gave everything until the line."

His victory has helped him climb to the fifth position in GC, just 19 seconds behind overall leader Jonathan Milan and the queen stage of the tour can help him change the rankings, but the rider is wary of Milan’s aggressive approach.. "The big climb is really long, but it's not in the final stage though. We'll see if I can play a significant role. A lot will depend on what the guys from Jumbo-Visma and Bahrain Victorious will do," concluded Laurance.