"Unfortunately, the course was just not tough enough for me" - Cian Uijtdebroeks sees victory slip between his fingers

Close but no cigar for Cian Uijtdebroeks at Czech Tour. The Belgian could almost feel the victory in the palm of his hand, but the final climb Pustevny was a 100 meters too long for the Belgian whose lead disappeared on the last stretch as an unexpected winner Jannis Peter (Team Vorarlberg) emerged with a turn of speed from the chasing group. The Visma | Lease a Bike leader could only watch the German climber secure the greatest victory of his career. And without the stage win, there was also only a sliver of hope for the 22-year-old to jump into the lead of general classification, which Junior Lecerf successfully defended on the last day.

"I think we can be very proud of how we rode as a team today," Uijtdebroeks said after the stage. "From start to finish, we were always in control, took charge of the race, and laid our cards on the table in the finale. After the guys did a fantastic job preparing the way, it was up to me to try to finish it off and crack Lecerf."

The plan seemed to succeed, as Uijtdebroeks broke away from his opponents and gained a lead of about twenty seconds. "I didn’t look back once; I wanted to ride as hard as possible to the finish," the Belgian continues his story. "At the end, my legs got heavy, and suddenly they came very fast from behind. That’s unfortunate, but I don’t think we can blame ourselves. This was the maximum we could get out of today."

Despite missing out on the win, Uijtdebroeks is in good spritis after another proof of his improving form. "We should be very proud of each other. We shaped the race and rode offensively in the mountain stages. Unfortunately, the course was just not tough enough for me."