The Uno-X Mobility team almost snatched a surprise victory when Søren Wærenskjold launched a solo attack in the final kilometre of stage 7 of Tirreno-Adriatico today. Wærenskjold was trying to lead out Alexander Kristoff for the final bunch sprint, but chaos and the wind forced a change of plans.
“I felt we were a little bit too much in front with only one guy in the last straight with so much headwind so I just let him go and try to scream to go,” Kristoff told CyclingProNet after the finish.
“And then it was a bit of chaos and we almost took advantage of it.”
Kristoff was hoping for better execution in San Benedetto del Tronto, after he admitted that the team “messed up a little” on the crucial final right-hander on stage 2.
The Norwegian team had played their cards perfectly in the final stage, staying mostly out of the wind for the beginning hilly route and letting Lidl-Trek and Alpecin-Deceuninck do most of the pacemaking. Inside of 20 kilometres to go, the Uno-X riders massed at the front, stating their intention to contest the bunch sprint.
The battle for control intensified in the final 2.5km as the peloton flew around a couple of tight corners, with Uno-X emerging as the leaders. They resisted a challenge by Movistar and were still in control with 1.5km to go.
Wærenskjold led the peloton through the corners with 1km to go while Kristoff, about eighth wheel back, screamed to his teammate to go.
Wærenskjold, winner of stage 2 at AlUla Tour, put his head down and quickly was 10 bike lengths distance ahead. Behind, Lidl-Trek’s Simone Consonni with Jonathan Milan and Kristoff on his wheel, gave chase.
Just as his teammate was about to be caught, Kristoff was the first sprinter to open up his sprint with only a flying Milan able to come around him
“Maybe I go a bit too early. I was on the wheel of Milan, but then Jasper [Philipsen] came and pushed me a little bit in the wind so I felt better start now than sit in the wind. So yeah, we had also had Soren in the front with a late attack and with a little bit less headwind maybe it could have worked.”
