Lennert van Eetvelt wins Guangxi queen stage - "When Tim Wellens attacked, I thought today wasn’t going to be my day"

Lotto Dstny have been having an astounding season and much is owed to Lennert van Eetvelt. After winning the UAE Tour earlier this year, the 23-year old is set to win his second World Tour stage-race of the season as he was victorious at the queen stage of the Tour of Guangxi today.

It was a win that comes out to close a breakthrough season of incredible success. Despite a big injury that took him out of racing from early March to late June, van Eetvelt did return to racing and to his best level. He finished on the podium of the Clásica San Sebastián, second to Primoz Roglic on the first mountain stage of the Vuelta a España and most recently was seventh at Il Lombardia - where he looked set to be on the podium until the final kilometers.

"I didn’t feel very good at first today. But when the team wants to work for you, you can’t complain, and you just have to give it everything you’ve got," van Eetvelt said in a post-race interview. Lotto Dstny was forced to work after a dangerous early attack on the climb. "When Tim Wellens attacked, I thought today wasn’t going to be my day. But the last kilometer is so tough, and I know how to keep my own pace on such sections, so I just kept going."

Van Eetvelt even led the group before the ultra-steep section of the ascent, but fully responded to Oscar Onley when he launched an early dash to the line on the gradients above 10%. The duo went through Victor Lafay who resisted from the same move that saw Wellens go and then was the fastest in the sprint. Van Eetvelt, one day away from the end of the race, has gotten himself in the race lead.