The Spanish Antonio Pedro (Movistar Team) alone achieved the memorable victory in final stage of the Tour de l’Ain who was close to giving him a trial, although the French William Martin (Cofidis) held on to the leader’s yellow jersey and took the final win.
Pedrero completed the 131 km stage, between Plâteau d’Hauteville and Lélex, in 3 hours, 28 minutes and 40 seconds, with a comfortable advantage of more than a minute, helping him add to his record the first victory in 2022.
the cyclist from Movistarwho started the stage 2min 6sec down on Martin overall, took advantage of an exciting start to join the main breakaway of the day, which consisted of three riders, including world champion Julian Alaphilippe.
However, with 60 km to go, the Catalan managed to break away on his own, keeping his pursuers off his pace on the two climbs of the Col de Menthières.
With 5 km to go, Pedrero became the virtual leader of the lap, but the team from Martin pulled the big group and found the rhythm enough to ensure the victory of his runner.
His main rival in the general classification, the Danish Mathias Skjelmose (Trek-Segafredo), also faced against possible victory during the stage, but New Zealander George Bennett (UAE Team Emirates) and Australian Harry Sweeny (Lotto Soudal), second and third, respectively, received the bonus second that would have allowed Skjelmose to fight for the championship.
Martin, who started seventh, 1:39 behind the Spaniard, eventually maintained his lead of 6 and 8 seconds over Skjelmose and his compatriot Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ), respectively, in general classification, and was crowned champion of the Tour de l’Ain, the fourth race he won in his career.
For his part, Pedrero completed the 131 km stage between Plâteau d’Hauteville and Lélex in 3 hours, 28 minutes and 40 seconds, with a comfortable lead of more than a minute, which served to add to his record.in the first victory of 2022and a creditable fifth place overall, just 12 seconds behind Martin.
Source: La Verdad
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
