Team Sunweb’s Soren Kragh Andersen broke away in the final stages to claim an impressive win in Lyon with Luka Mezgec second and Simone Consonni third.
Valgren was 13th on the stage, skillfully navigating his way in a reduced group and a tricky finale into Lyon.
Michael Valgren
It was a hard day on the bike and we knew that Bora would go hard on the first climb to drop the sprinters and then that I was alone so I would save myself for the final.
I’m not really a sprinter so I tried to save myself and I couldn’t follow the moves at the end so I tried my best in the sprint; so I think just outside the top 10 is not awesome (as a result) but “no try then no chance” of winning.
Bjarne Riis
I think Michael did okay today. He was up there, like we expected of him ahead of the stage, and then present in the final stages of the race. He finished 13th which I think (overall) was a decent result.
Please visit the following link for the downloadable audio of the riders for rights-free usage, here (https://bit.ly/2GWGjZa).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of NTT Pro Cycling.
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About NTT Pro Cycling:
Founded in 2007, NTT Pro Cycling (formerly Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka) (www.NTTProCycling.com) became the first-ever African cycling team to gain a WorldTour license, in 2016. With the support of our headline sponsor and technology innovation partner, NTT, we are the most purpose-driven, performance-led, and technology-enabled team in pro cycling today.
Our ambition is to continue to race at the highest levels in world cycling, to develop riders to realise their full potential and to inspire and motivate people across the African continent to ride bicycles.
We have bases in South Africa, Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy.
We also ride to raise awareness for Qhubeka, a global charity operating in South Africa, through our #BicyclesChangeLives campaign.
The hands on the back of the team race jersey are a reminder that every Qhubeka bicycle is a helping hand up to a beneficiary, which are provided through Qhubeka's learn-to-earn and work-to-earn programmes
About Qhubeka:
Qhubeka (www.Qhubeka.org) is a charity that moves people forward with bicycles. People earn bicycles through our programmes, improving their access to schools, clinics and jobs.
A bicycle is a tool that helps people to travel faster and further, and to carry more. In the face of extreme and persistent poverty, bicycles can change lives by helping to address socioeconomic challenges at the most basic level – helping people to get where they need to go.
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NTT Ltd. (www.hello.global.NTT) is a global technology services company bringing together the expertise of leaders in the field, including NTT Communications, Dimension Data and NTT Security. We partner with organizations around the world to shape and achieve outcomes through intelligent technology solutions. For us, intelligent means data driven, connected, digital and secure. As a global ICT provider, we employ more than 40,000 people in a diverse and dynamic workplace and deliver services in over 200 countries and regions. Together we enable the connected future.
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