Lund Andresen pulls off surprise win in tough stage: "I didn’t win today, it was my team"

Tobias Lund Andresen secured an impressive victory in the CRO Race on Friday. The promising sprinter riding for dsm-firmenich PostNL won the uphill sprint from a significantly reduced peloton, showing that the Dane is capable of much more than just sprinting.

However, it wasn’t an easy task to get Lund Andresen to the group at the front in time for the finale. Along the route was the Poklon climb, a tough ascent of nearly twelve kilometers at an average gradient of six percent. Lund Andresen rode at his own pace, and his teammates brought him back to the front group after a furious chase. In the hilly finale, he held his ground and then sprinted convincingly to the win on a 1.5-kilometer cobbled climb.

This was Lund Andresen's sixth victory of the season. Earlier, he won three stages in the Tour of Turkey and two stages in the tour of his home country. "It feels amazing, I didn’t really expect this," the rider exclaimed in a statement on the team’s website. Lund Andresen considers the victory more of a team accomplishment. "The team put a lot of faith in me. I didn’t win today, it was my team," he said firmly. "From the plans we made before the start, to the pacing we did on the climb, and my teammates bringing me back. I would never have been there if it wasn't for the guys."

Lund Andresen: "I knew what to expect"

"Today I had trust and faith in what we were trying to do," Lund Andresen continued. "I was dropped by quite a bit on the big mountain, but the guys stuck with me and brought me back. I think today is one of the best days I’ve had on the bike." The winner of the fourth stage approached the difficult final stretch with determination. "In the finale I knew I had to do my own pace on the cobbles as I did the race last year so I knew what to expect. When you see the finish line and you’re a sprinter like me, then you don’t feel your legs anymore and just go. I’m so happy to have been able to finish it off."