Magnus Cort Nielsen made the move away from the World Tour for the first time in 10 years and surprisingly, has had his best UCI position. This, coming from a rider who has in the past won nine Grand Tour stages comes as a surprise; and he has finished the year in the best possible way with a triumph at the Veneto Classic.
“This is the perfect way to end the season. For me it’s a great victory and it’s only the second time I’ve won a one-day race,” Cort Nielsen said in a post-race interview. “This was a really spectacular race, even though it’s not a top-level race, but it looks like it. It was a crazy race and I’m happy and proud of how I won.”
The Dane was in the breakaway of the race, even though he was a contender for victory. He didn't believe he had the legs to contest for it, and that's why he decided to risk: “That’s why I went into the breakaway, because I knew it would be hard to chase... I knew I could make a difference on the circuit. We could get far as escapees, because La Tisa was a very tough climb on which the race was difficult to control. Many riders had to put their feet on the ground, which probably caused a lot of chaos.”
He formed part of the day's six-rider breakaway and with strong company, three riders still survived up to the final ascent inside the final 10 kilometers. Here Cort Nielsen, a man known for his sprinting ability, put in a storming climbing performance to then drop his companions and be the only rider to survive the surge coming from the peloton.
It was a perfect way to end a season which also included a GC win at the Arctic Race of Norway, a stage win at the Criterium du Dauphiné, a stage win and second place at the Tour of Denmark, and a third spot at the Bretagne Classic. "I was surprised that I still had energy. After the Tour I felt I was still good and had good results, but after that I struggled. But I like racing like this. Next year I hope to be able to fight for nice victories like this again," he concluded.
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