"It was the first day of my career in the leader’s jersey, and I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome" - Ethan Vernon successfully defends the leader's jersey

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider Ethan Vernon continued his dominance in the Tour of Slovakia. He dominated the ITT stage yesterday, and now he proved to be the fastest in the final sprint in the second stage.

The rider promised to defend his leader’s jersey and he delivered.“It was the first day of my career in the leader’s jersey, and I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome,” said Vernon. He did not forget to thank his teammates for their effort throughout the stage. “We wanted a bunch sprint today, and the guys made sure we’d have one. They were the only ones pulling and rode incredibly today.”

After the last breakaway rider was caught, The peloton geared up for a sprint in which Vernon came out on top.“In the final kilometers, the speed they pushed was so high that nobody could pass us, so this is their victory. I knew I was in good form after the prologue and I’m happy with this win. Keeping yellow tomorrow will be very difficult, but I will give my best”, concluded Vernon. He currently leads in GC with over 17 seconds edge.