Vauquelin describes it as: "A small act of revenge after a special week," Milan and Lidl-Trek celebrate after a successful Sunday

Lidl-Trek opened the spectacle on Wednesday, and on Sunday, the American team also closed Valencia's Tour with a win. Jonathan Milan was by far the best in the flat final stage, as expected, but he had his team to thank for that. Kévin Vauquelin was the best in the Star of Bessèges two days in a row and closed the wounded stage race with the final and stage win.

After all the climbing of the past few days, it was the other way around on Sunday. The final stage was flat, but that didn't make it any easier. "It was a pretty tough ride; it was super fast with all the wind," the winner said in the flash interview. "It was always nervous in the peloton, and there were echelons at one point; we were right there because we knew it could happen." About 30 kilometers before the finish, cracks appeared in the peloton, but soon the bunch merged back together.

Lidl-Trek knew it had the top favorite for the final stage. On Saturday, things went wrong after he couldn't follow his lead-out in the brutal final kilometer. Therefore, his team did everything possible to deliver the Bull of Buja flawlessly. "It went very well; we were in control from the beginning of the stage, and my team put me in the best position to sprint. I have to thank them for that." Milan could open his sprint with 150 meters to go: a perfect scenario.

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"We had a great week"

The first win of the year is there for the sprinter. "It's essential; this stage was our goal. I have always loved to ride my first race here in preparation for the next one. Yesterday, I felt pretty good; the team did a great job there and all week. We had a great week. I was looking forward to today, and it brings a lot of motivation." The sprinter will compete against Tim Merlier and Olav Kooij, among others, in the UAE Tour next week.

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Vauquelin closes Star of Bessèges with double win

In France, Vauquelin was the star rider. The French rider from Arkéa-B&B Hotels was by far the strongest in the final time trial, which shows why he was the GC leader. "This victory in the overall classification and time trial are very satisfying results, personally and for the ARKEA-B&B HOTELS team," he told his team's website. "I had quite a big lead in the overall classification this morning, so it gave me a good idea of what to expect on this final stage. It's a reward for all the hard work I've put in all week and over the winter."

Last year, the young climber finished second in the GC, just two seconds behind overall winner Mads Pedersen. "I had a bit of revenge to take here on the Etoile de Bessèges after a special week and a very trying day yesterday," he also refers to Thursday and Friday's incidents. "I enjoyed riding it today. It bodes well for the rest of the season."

Read also

Spectacular first pro win for Vervaeke in Oman overshadowed by bizarre crashes in the final meters, Kooij loses leader’s jersey

Team time trial 2.0: Lidl-Trek delivers Milan perfectly, who finishes the job with ice-cold precision

Vauquelin dominates: Time trial and overall victory in decimated Star of Bessèges

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