Read what @IlanWilder had to say after cementing his place in the top five of the #TDR2024 general classification at the end of Saturday's draining stage 4: soudal-quickstepteam.com/en/news/6515/r… Photo: @GettySport
"It was a brutal day" - Ilan van Wilder loses GC podium at Romandie but is satisfied as others cracked
CyclingSaturday, 27 April 2024 at 22:00
The likes of Juan Ayuso, Luke Plapp and Damiano Caruso - for different reasons - struggled a lot in the queen stage of the Tour de Romandie and lost their places in the GC. Ilan van Wilder descended from second to fourth, however he was satisfied as he avoided the difficulties some of his rivals features.
“It was a brutal day with a hard pace from the first climb. I was lucky to have the support of the team, and especially Julian’s (Alaphilippe, ed.), who was with me almost the entire day," van Wilder said in a post-race interview. The Belgian saw a few of his rivals for the overall classification struggle. Soudal - Quick-Step or van Wilder did not have to work, but instead respond to the attacks on the final climb.
"It was difficult for everyone on the last ascent and I missed a bit there to follow the best guys, but I quickly found my tempo and kept it until the finish," the Belgian described. He didn't have a direct answer to the moves of Florian Lipowitz, but paced his way into the finish in Leysin, arriving in seventh place, 31 seconds down on Richard Carapaz.
"Overall, I am satisfied with this result, because it shows that I’m improving in World Tour races," he concluded. Ultimately, this earned van Wilder a fourth spot in the overall classification, where he is expected to finish the race. However with a few hills and wet roads, he is first in line to ascend to the podium in case something happens to one of the riders ahead.
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