Juanpe takes both the stage win and race lead after an audacious attack in the Alps
Juan Pedro López claimed his first win as a professional rider after an impressive attack at 26km from the finish. He joined Giulio Pellizzari as the duo climbed and descended through unabating rain and low temperatures as they gained on the peloton.
10 KM TO GO – @juanpelopez97 (@LidlTrek) and Giulio Pellizzari (@Bardiani_CSF) are still going strong and leading with 40" gap.
📸 Vaishar#TotA #LiveUphill pic.twitter.com/mMrytPzt08
— Tour of The Alps (@Tourof_TheAlps) April 17, 2024
Juanpe attacked and dropped Pellizzari on the final climb before descending to the finish in Schwaz. The Spaniard never relented his effort, knowing that every second would count for the general classification. He crossed the line 38 seconds ahead of the chasing group and moves into the race lead by a margin of 31 seconds with two stages left to race.
It was an amazing day for me, my first pro victory, but it was a really s**t day for everybody. We started with four degrees and rain and it was one of the coldest days on the bike in my life. We started with the objective of not getting cold, but that was impossible, so in the end I changed to the other objective, which was to go for the stage. At the beginning I didn’t feel very good, I didn’t feel my hands, I didn’t feel the rest of my body so good. In the end, I could feel that my legs were good, which was important.
