"Crazy day" for breakaway riders in Basque Country. "Bittersweet" feeling prevails, Thompson hindered by neutralization

Louis Meintjes won the marred fourth stage of the Tour of the Basque Country on Thursday. After the race was paused for a long time due to a severe crash on a descent, the South African from Intermarché-Wanty soloed from the breakaway to victory, crossing the finish line with a subdued celebration. "This is not how you want to win," the winner said in the flash interview.

"Still, I am happy with the victory. I felt good and saw opportunities to win from the breakaway," Meintjes continued. "Unfortunately, a mixed feeling predominates because of the crash. It's a victory, but it doesn't really feel like one. You want everyone to be able to compete under fair conditions."

Regardless, Meintjes can add a victory to his palmarès. The stage in the Basque Country is his second win in the WorldTour. He had previously won a stage in the Vuelta a España. "I don't really know if you can count this one," Meintjes said. "I'm not exactly sure what happened, but it must have been serious. I wish all those involved a speedy recovery," the climber also thought of his injured colleagues.

Thompson struggled after long break

The young New Zealander Reuben Thompson was also part of the early break that eventually was allowed to contest the win due to the crash. Behind Meintjes, he beat Karel Vacek in the sprint for second place. "Before the stage, I asked my team manager if it was better to stay in the peloton. I thought the breakaways had no chance," Thompson began his story in a conversation with Cycling Pro Net. Eventually, the rider still attacked. "It was a real rollercoaster. Our lead fluctuated, and the crash... Unbelievable."

"I knew there was a crash behind us because our lead started to increase again," said Thompson, searching for words to describe the bizarre day. "It's strange; I've never experienced a situation like this before." After a quite long neutralization, the breakaways were allowed to continue and contest the victory. For Thompson, it wasn't easy. "I never stop for coffee during training, so my legs were really shit. That made the climb difficult for me. Well, a crazy day, that's for sure."

Vacek: "Of course, I would have preferred a normal race progression"

Vacek lost the sprint to Thompson but still secured a spot on the podium for the stage. "Unfortunately, I couldn't sustain my attack on the climb. I had to try there because I'm not the fastest on the flat or in the sprint. My legs were very strong uphill. Still, this year has not been great for me so far. I was looking for a team for a long time and thus started racing late," Vacek told Cycling Pro Net.

"I was also unsure about my level," he continues. "Although training went very well, a race is something different. However, in the end, I am very satisfied. I attacked Meintjes on the climb. He's among the better climbers in the peloton. Unfortunately, he was stronger. Luckily, I am still on the podium, which is also important for the team."

Vacek didn't catch the entire crash. "I heard there was a fall in the peloton and that there were too few ambulances to continue the race. We didn't immediately know what would happen next. Of course, I too would have preferred a normal race progression. I don't know who fell and how serious it was, but I hope everyone is okay."

López: "I'm left with a bittersweet feeling from this stage"

The 24-year-old Spaniard from Caja Rujal, Joseba López, finished sixth. "It was an uncertain finale," he says on the team's website. "First, we were told that the race would stop due to a lack of ambulances. Then, that we would ride neutralized until the descent was over, and eventually, we were allowed as a breakaway group to compete for the win. It was a strange situation; restarting after the pause and knowing that there was no longer racing behind us."

"I knew it would be decided on the climb, but I was nowhere near strong enough. All in all, I'm left with a bittersweet feeling from the stage. On one hand, I'm satisfied with the strong performance. On the other, I don't like finishing a stage like this, as much as I appreciate finishing sixth in a race of this caliber."