Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep) attacked on the final climb and outsprinted yellow jersey Marc Hirschi (UAE Team Emirates) to win the fourth and final stage of the Czech Tour in Šternberk. Hirschi, who had taken over the leader’s jersey on stage 2, claimed the overall victory with a 28-second lead over his closest competitor and teammate Diego Ulissi.
Once the early breakaway was caught on the 129.2km stage, a group of 12 riders with Alaphilippe and Hirschi, escaped on the penultimate ascent of Sternberk (1km at 8.1%) which featured some tricky cobblestone sections.
Alaphilippe made his decisive attack on the steepest part of the ascent, and only Hirschi was able to respond to his charge but the chasers were able to bridge across with 800 meters to go, complicating the finale. In the closing 300 metres, Hirschi opened up his sprint first but Alaphilippe came around on a right-hand bend to take his 44th pro victory.
Sergio Higuita (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) took third on the stage.
"We set the pace throughout the second half of the stage. I was already a bit tired, but I tried to stay calm. We had a clear plan, which we managed to fulfil completely," Alaphilippe said.
The two-time world champion used the Czech Tour as a final test before the upcoming Olympic road race, as did Hirschi who will line up at Saturday's road race for Switzerland alongside Stefan Küng.
"Especially the beginning was very nervous and stressful. There was a lot of wind, there were also rain showers. I was worried about the yellow jersey for a while," Hirschi said. ”I really liked the final circuit. But I was glad that it didn't rain because it would have been very dangerous to finish on the cobbles.
"I didn't have the speed I needed until the last corner, plus Julian was really super strong. But I'm still happy because the overall victory in the Czech Tour is a great result.”
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