"I thought it was impossible to win" - Tobias Johannessen opens up 2023 tally in final Tour de Luxembourg stage

Tobias Johannnessen is a rider of tremendous quality, among the best at under-23 level but who is struggling to find his own among the World Tour leaders now. However, after a difficult season, he has returned to his best form and took an impressive win at the Tour de Luxembourg.

“It's so difficult to win these kinds of races. Because the level is really incredibly high here," he said, after winning the final day of the stage-race. "I thought it was impossible to win, but after a difficult start and a difficult day my legs are often still good. That made me continue to believe in it and I decided to go for it. I'm really, really happy that I was able to win here.”

Johannessen hadn't won until today this season, he featured in a few promising breakaways at the Tour de France, his form only began to show in the summer. Since, he's finished fourth at the Arctic Race of Norway and second at the Tour of Britain, it was a slow buildup until he got to Luxembourg with the legs to win. With an attack in the final hilltop on the final day, he soloed away to an important win.

“I really wanted to win this year. And I knew that if I had a gap, I had to continue full throttle. That worked," the Uno-X Pro Cycling Team rider cheered on. It wasn't enough to bring him to the Top10 of the overall classification, however it was a result that is ultimately better.