"I just had to stay in the wheel of Vacek" - Corbin Strong secures his professional GC victory Tour de Wallonie
Cycling
After an exciting action-packed last stage at the Tour de Wallonie, Corbin Strong was able to secure his first professional GC victory, but it wasn't a walk in the park. With Mathias Vacek starting the day just one second behind the Israel - Premier Tech rider, Strong needed to stay on guard throughout day with multiple opportunities to change the situation. Fortunately, a strong breakaway took all bonification seconds out of the equation and then Strong added further 8 seconds to his advantage with a final sprint.
"I’m really, really happy to win this race," he said afterwards in a press communication. "This season hasn’t gone the way I hoped it would go, so to come here and take the overall win is a really, really nice feeling. Hopefully, this is the start of a good second half to the season."
"My teammates did a really good job at the start, riding a solid pace to keep the breakaway within check, but we weren’t really too bothered about the stage win." The second place as peloton closed in to the breakaway in final meters was a pleasant bonus.
Lidl-Trek did try to create a scenario where Vacek could steer clear from his Kiwi rival, but Strong was always in the right place. "Obviously, I only had one second on Vacek coming into today, so it was actually better for us if the breakaway took all the time bonuses. The guys did a really good job of keeping it within about three minutes, and then in the last few kilometers, Lidl – Trek took over."
"From that point on, I knew I had to just stay in the wheel of Vacek. I couldn’t let him out of my sight, and I knew that if we were coming to the line and some time bonuses were on offer, I needed to beat him."
The stage went to the last surviving escapee - Clement Izquierdo (Cofidis), but Strong was right on his tail, securing a GC victory. "It was pretty touch-and-go at the finish. I really didn’t want us to catch the breakaway, but I could see them getting closer and closer, and I also knew I had pretty good legs. I came close to the stage win, but I’m really happy to wrap the GC up today."
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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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leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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