Kristoff "used the Tour as a training camp" towards Eurométropole Tour win

Alexander Kristoff has over his career became a successful and experienced classics riders, however it came as a surprise to see the Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux rider win today's Eurométropole Tour under such difficult circumstances.

“I was in the attack with Jasper De Buyst and Dries Van Gestel and we worked well together”, he said in a post-race interview. That ended up being the winning move, as the trio made a move inside the final 20 kilometers and could build enough of a gap to hold back the peloton. “But Lotto Soudal had [Victor] Campenaerts on the way and that's why De Buyst didn't participate. I only realized later that Campenaerts was attacking on the penultimate climb. He suddenly passed us, and then I heard it. That's why I reacted a bit late and had to chase hard until the penultimate kilometer".

Kristoff was briefly dropped in the final main climb of the day, seeing his chances almost evaporate in front of his eyes. However a slow down of the leading duo saw him return to the front, and Lotto Soudal put their cards on Campenaerts to sprint into the win on the slightly uphill ramps at La Louvière. “Then I could rest for a while. After that I was a bit happy that Campenaerts started too early".

The Belgian was the first to launch the sprint, immediately getting a gap, but the conditions favoured Kristoff. "If he goes a little later, the hole may have been too big. Now I could dive into its wake and beyond, but it had to come from deep," he detailed. "It also went up slightly. That suited me very well, but now that I'm older, this arrival is a little less for me. That's why I'm happy that I was able to win at this finish".

“I used the Tour as a training camp,” Kristoff joked. “During my first training sessions after the Tour I already felt much better than during the Tour. I've raced twice now and finished third and first, so the form is very good. Having his fitness back, he will now eye another series of races that will suit him well.

His next goal will be the European championships where he'll try to get a second title: "I will ride the European Championships in Munich on Sunday, although that course doesn't suit me very well. I expect a bunch sprint with a larger group. There are also faster riders; Fabio Jakobsen and Tim Merlier are the guys to beat there.”