"We were able to execute our plan almost to perfection" - Natnael Tesfatsion a close second at Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race

Natnael Tesfatsion came so close to taking the win at the 2024 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. In the end though, the Eritrean was forced to settle for second behind Laurence Pithie.

"I don't think it's a secret that we were disappointed with the results from Santos Tour Down Under," Tesfatsion said post-race to his Lidl-Trek team's official website. "We had some good performances but we lacked something at the end of the week so, to get this result here is super nice."

With a mix of riders making the final selection, Tesfatsion almost managed to prove himself the strongest of the lot. "We had a plan coming into the race. We wanted to make the race hard on the circuits and my job was to be there for a small group sprint," he explains. "Thanks to how we raced as a team, we were able to execute our plan almost to perfection."

"Sometimes it's difficult when you finish second by such a small margin but I am happy with this result and this performance both for myself and for the team," Tesfatsion concludes. "The season is still long for all of us but, with the way we raced today, I think we have shown we are all in good shape."