He pulled for much of the final climb, but that didn’t stop him from sprinting for victory at the finish line in Levico Terme. Aurélien Paret-Peintre won the final stage of Tour of the Alps 2024achieving his fourth victory as a professional, the second in Italy after the success in Lago Laceno at the last Giro d’Italia.
«I’m super happy with the victory, I felt good and at the end I knew I was the fastest in the small group that arrived to compete for the stage – said the eldest of the Paret-Peintre brothers -. The most positive signal, however, came from the team, we are in great shape ahead of the Giro d’Italia. Can we have any regrets about O’Connor second overall? The only one could be yesterday, without Harper’s crash and then Ben’s, perhaps a different scenario would have emerged, O’Connor could have won the overall and left the stage to Harper, but we will never know.”
His brother too Valentin is starting to make itself more and more known; with 3rd place today, in fact, he finished 4th in the general classification. «Who is stronger between me and Valentin? Well, I’ve won 4 races and he’s won zero, he’s younger but at the moment I’m beating him (laughs, ed.) – Aurélien jokes again -. I’ve seen him grow, he needed a week like this, I think he’s improving a lot. He’s a pure climber, I’m more versatile, I’m good at sprints and time trials. Valentin still has to work a little but I think he can win a stage at the Giro and maybe place well in the general classification.”
The general impression, in any case, is that the Decathlon AG2R this year has really changed gear, and that he wants to demonstrate this collective strength also at the Giro: «The Giro will once again be my great goal, I’m aiming for a stage victory and a good placing in general, a bit like what happened in last year – concludes Paret-Peintre -. And then we hope to get into the top 5 with O’Connor, and if he runs well maybe even on the podium. We needed a change of sponsor to make a change, we have a new bike, new materials and even more pressure in having to perform, and then you can see this in the race.”
LOPEZ, THE FIRST AS A PROFESSIONAL IS FOR GUERCILENA
Dozens of dribbles to celebrate. Juanpe Lopez, a great football enthusiast and Betis Seville fan, showed up in the press room holding the ball high with non-trivial mastery. However, he achieved the feat on a bicycle, winning his first professional race and then his first stage race.
«I dedicate it to everyone, to my family and to my team, but in particular to Luca Guercilena who is not having a great time in health – said the Lidl Trek climber -. I hope he can recover as soon as possible.”
Juanpe’s focus will now shift to Tour of Italy, where he obviously has wonderful memories from 2022, with the Maglia Rosa worn for 10 days and 10th in the general classification. «Yes, it’s true, I finished in the Top 10 but now we’re in 2024, right now I’m thinking more about a stage victory than a placing in the general classification. In any case I only think about the present, about sleeping well this night. There will be time for the Giro. I will remember this Tour of the Alps forever, because it represented my first victory as a pro and then my first success in the general classification. I really hope to return next year.”
TIBERI’S AWARENESS
Antonio Tiberi he tried and the Bahrain Victorious she’s the only one who really tried to put Lopez in difficulty. It didn’t go well, but the Lazio rider still finished second in the stage and third in the general classification.
«Everyone was going fast uphill today, and in fact we went down the hill with a very large group – explains Antonio -. I would have expected more selection, but everything was fine. Poels and I both tried but it didn’t work, perhaps a harder climb would have been needed. At the end I knew I could have my say in a tight sprint and so it was, even if second place is never what you aim for. It’s a shame, but the signs are more than positive, I feel like I’ve made a breakthrough both from a physical and mental point of view, I can compete with the best and I’m looking forward to the Giro with great confidence.”
First, however, the Ardennes await him: «Tonight I leave for the Liège-Bastogne-Liège, let’s hope that there in Wallonia the weather is on our side. Objective? I don’t know, it’s my first Liège, given my condition I don’t mind the length of the race. I’m more scared of the weather…”.
Tags: TOTA JOY PARETPEINTRE LOPEZS DEDICATION GUERCILENA TIBERI FLIES LIEGE
