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Edward Theuns came into the Tour of Hungary looking for wins, but instead, his frustration grew after mistakes and lousy luck marred anything better than a 7th place finish. In the fourth and final opportunity in Stage 5, Theuns finally made good, capping off a fantastic team effort to take the win.
Antonio Tiberi finished safely in the bunch to seal up 3rd overall after showing his climbing prowess in the queen stage Saturday.
“Things were not really going right for us apart from yesterday,” said Theuns. “We didn’t have luck on our side, we made some mistakes, and it was frustrating me a bit. The team did a great job all week, and it was sad that I could not get a result for them. So yeah, today it was all or nothing. It’s great to throw the arms in the air and give this reward to the team.
“Not so much changed today from the first stages, maybe getting into the rhythm a bit. I had a rest period after the Classics and only around one and a half weeks of training before coming here, and I could feel in the first days that the legs were not awake yet. Yesterday, Tiberi finished 3rd – he’s a big talent and one of the best climbers here, I think – and I am happy for him that he did a great race. And the win today is the cherry on the cake.”
The final city circuit in the heart of Budapest made for a fast, challenging race and little chance for anything but a sprint finish.
When three of the four-man breakaway were brought back at the start of the last lap with seven kilometers to go and the last stubborn holdout a few kilometers later, Alexander Kamp and Emils Liepins rolled up their sleeves.
“It was not an easy circuit – a lot of corners, and it was very fast,” explained Theuns. “It was a fight to be in the front with 1.5 kilometers to go and we did a perfect fight there. Alex Kamp brought me to Emils wheel in perfect position, and Emils did a great job towards the last two corners. Then I could just lose some spots in the last corner, which was actually good to take a wheel and Teunissen launched from far. That was actually perfect so I could go into his wheel and I felt that I still had power left."
With the work from Kamp and Liepins to keep Theuns in the front, there were no mistakes, no crashes, and nothing but a white line luring. And this time Theuns crossed first.
“The guys today again did great work. Emils was the whole day in front of me, he did a perfect job. Also, Alex Kamp in the final. It was super teamwork, and I am really happy. I know I have fast legs, but it’s not easy to always show it. I don’t always get the opportunities and this week I did, so I wanted to make it count. So I am happy today that I could make it count.”
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