"He would have probably won anyway" - Soren Waerenskjold doesnt understand Danny van Poppel's deviation
Cycling
Soren Waerenskjold didn't have an easy task to defend his leader's jersey in the stage 3 of the Lidl Deutschland Tour. But even though the Norwegian didn't cross the line first in Arnsberg, he could've been all smiles on the podium as he not only successfully defended his lead, he was awarded the stage victory too after Danny van Poppel's relegation following a dangerous maneuver against Matthew Brennan in the final sprint.
"I've seen the footage, and I think it's the right decision," Waerenskjold assessed after the finish in the flash interview. "It's not the way you want to win, because he was the strongest. But he didn't hold his line. If he had, he probably would have won anyway."
The third stage was far from a simple day for sprinters and the likes of Jonathan Milan, Jordi Meeus and Phil Bauhaus in fact lost contact with the leading group early on in the stage. Only 33 men ultimately lost no time, while the second group on the road was 10 minutes off the back.
"It was incredibly tough, mentally too," Waerenskjold confirms that the stage was far from easy with an exhausted expression.
The Norwegian had to take care of himself in the second half of the stage as all his teammates lost contact beforehand. "I was alone at the end, after receiving good help from my teammates. Unfortunately, they couldn't stay with me on the difficult climbs. I was waiting for the attacks, after which I would have to say: that's it for me, it's over. Then my focus would be on tomorrow. But luckily, the attacks didn't come. I was able to grab a few time bonuses, I'm very happy."
Tomorrow's stage to Magdeburg should be much simpler to control, but the Uno-X leader still needs to stay alert with GC not fully decided yet. "Maybe they'll try something crazy again, you never know. We have to stay focused, like we were today. We knew it was going to be a tough stage. Tomorrow we have to avoid making any stupid decisions, stay together as a team and take home the win."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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