Jakob Fuglsang has today taken his first win for Israel - Premier Tech, and his first since Il Lombardia 2020 at the Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes. It was Israel's fifth win of the season and is a good sign for the upcoming races.
“We came here with a strong team and it was a pleasure to race today. I’m really happy I could finish off the hard work from the guys," Fuglsang said in a post-race interview. With Michael Woods and Chris Froome alongside, the Dane thrived in the race, taking advantage of Groupama - FDJ's work in the final climbs to launch a flurry of attacks with around seven kilometers to go up the Valberg climb.
Fuglsang put on a strong performance, managing to distance and hold the gap to David Gaudu who was the closest chaser. Teammate Michael Woods looked equally as good, sprinting to second place. "The start of the season was a bit difficult for me so I’m super relieved and happy to be able to win this race," he said.
Team DS Zak Dempster shared the emotion: “Everybody knows that it has been a complicated first part of the season for us so it was great to see the guys to come back like that with this kind of attitude. From now on, we only look forward.” Israel - Premier Tech are in a very complicated situation where a relegation to Pro Team level is likely, however today's race will have given them very precious points which can put them back in the fight.
🎙️ "We came here with a strong team and it was a pleasure to race today. I'm really happy I could finish off the hard work from the guys!" What a race by @Jakob_Fuglsang and all the IPT riders today! 📰 Read all about it here: israelpremiertech.com/fuglsang-wins-… ____ 🇫🇷 #MercanTourClassic
