Loic Vliegen: "It was a big disappointment to miss the victory at 300 meters of the place I grew up and in front of my home crowd"

Loic Vliegen secured the second position in the queen stage of the Tour de Wallonie. The rider tried to attack stage winner Oier Lazkano but remained unsuccessful.

“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, it’s always special to race on training roads. Things were looking good for our team on the Côte de Cornesse, with around 37 kilometers to go, when I saw the leader Julian Alaphilippe in difficulty, among others,” said Vliegen.

Lazkano attacked 5 kilometers before the finish line and Vligen soon counterattacked, but Lazkano was already ahead with a 20-second lead .“There were several attacks in the final, and Lazkano managed to create a 20-second gap after an attack on the flat. I quickly came closer to the leader, but he had enough left in the legs to resist in the final straight,” said Vliegen.

He was a bit disappointed because it was his home ground with his family and neighbors all cheering for him.“It was of course, a big disappointment to miss the victory at 300 meters of the place I grew up and in front of my home crowd,” said Vliegen. He is optimistic about the upcoming stages “But there are still three stages and the same number of opportunities for our team. Thanks to our strong collective performances, Lorenzo and I are in a favorable position in the general classification,” concluded Vliegen. He holds 4th position in GC, 11 seconds behind overall leader Robert Stannard.