One of the youngest riders to ever win a stage at the #TourOfGuangxi, @VangheluweWarre is part of a four-man breakaway that is two minutes ahead with 40 kilometers to go at this penultimate day of the race. Photo: @GettySport
Van Eetvelt is the strongest on steep final climb, takes a step toward overall victory in the Tour of Guangxi
CyclingSaturday, 19 October 2024 at 10:45
The fifth stage of the Tour of Guangxi was won by Lennert Van Eetvelt. The Belgian Lotto Dstny rider was the strongest in the queen stage, winning a sprint against Oscar Onley (dsm-firmenich PostNL). With this victory, he also achieved a double success: taking over the leader's jersey.
Stage 5. Finally, it was time for the general classification riders to shine. Even in the tough hilly stages, the sprinters had managed to survive in recent days. Ethan Vernon won his second consecutive stage on Friday. This seemed to strengthen the Israel-Premier Tech rider's hold on the leader's jersey, but he ended up losing it after being penalized for a 'sticky bidon' at the top of the final climb. As a result, the British rider had to hand over the leader's jersey to Max Kanter (Astana Qazaqstan). The German was expected to lose his leading position on Saturday, as the stage involved a climb to Nongla. The short climb to the finish was steep enough to be called the decisive moment of the race.
From Yizhou, four riders immediately embarked on a long adventure. One of them was Koen Bouwman. The Visma | Lease a Bike climber is riding his last race for the team in China and was determined not to leave without making a statement. He went on the attack, along with the stage two winner, Warre Vangheluwe (Soudal Quick-Step). They were joined by two EF Education-EasyPost riders, Jonas Rutsch and Stefan Bissegger. However, they were never given much space, with the maximum gap being just over 3 minutes and 30 seconds. The gap shrank as the race progressed, and the final climb came into view.
Bouwman & co keep fighting, final climb looms
Team dsm firmenich-PostNL, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale and Lidl-Trek. Those were the teams that took on the bulk of the work, but Lotto Dstny also contributed to putting Lennert Van Eetvelt in a good position. The leading four were not easily caught. Thanks in part to the efforts of the EF Education-EasyPost riders, their collaboration remained strong. So strong, in fact, that the chasing peloton didn’t close the gap much in the finale. As a result, the quartet started the climb with a thirty-second lead. Bouwman knew what he had to do and immediately rode off from his fellow escapees, going solo in search of glory.
But it wasn’t Bouwman’s day. The peloton, led by Lotto Dstny, quickly closed the gap. It was now a battle for the general classification, with Kanter being dropped. The front group thinned out quickly due to the high pace. With less than two kilometers to go, Tim Wellens accelerated. The Belgian riding for UAE Team Emirates flew off and was joined by Victor Lafay (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), who caught up and took over at full speed. Wellens was struggling to hold on. Meanwhile, behind them, Van Eetvelt was chasing on his own, with no teammates left.
The French leader dropped his companion and continued solo. He seemed to be on his way, but on the steepest sections, he began to struggle. Behind him, Oscar Onley (dsm-firmenich PostNL) was closing in fast, with Van Eetvelt on his wheel. With one hundred meters to go, they caught the unfortunate Frenchman and passed him. In the sprint for the win, the Belgian was the strongest, crowning his team's hard work with victory. Onley finished second, ahead of Alex Baudin and his teammate Lafay.
Lennert van Eetvelt wins the queen stage of the Tour of Guangxi and what a finish it was. One of the best from the whole season. 😍 #TOG2024
Results stage 5 Tour of Guangxi 2024
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Latest Comments
- I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024