Tom Van Asbroeck storms to victory on stage 3 of Tour de la Provence
Tom Van Asbroeck Secures Victory at Tour de la Provence Stage 3
In a thrilling finish, Tom Van Asbroeck of Israel – Premier Tech took the win in the sprint on stage 3 of Tour de la Provence, with teammate Hugo Hofstetter finishing in fourth place. Despite the setback of some riders not starting due to stomach problems, the IPT team remained determined to finish strong, with Van Asbroeck and Hofstetter staying in the lead group during the challenging stage.
Van Asbroeck’s unexpected victory left him beaming with excitement and surprise. He explained, “It’s just incredible! I can’t believe I won this stage. It’s amazing!” The team’s sports director, Oscar Guerrero, praised the team’s resilience in the face of adversity, saying, “The guys were switched on and they were very concentrated all day, ready for all the echelons and were always in the first one.”
Despite initially planning to lead out for Hofstetter, Van Asbroeck found himself with the opportunity to push ahead, saying, “The plan was actually for me to do a lead out for Hugo but I had so much power in my legs so I just kept going and going and going.” Guerrero commended the team’s focus and strategy, highlighting Van Asbroeck’s standout performance, “In the last kilometers, Tom was taking care of Hugo, to be sure that he was always on the good wheel, they were calm because the headwind was strong in the last kms and they timed it to perfection. Tom’s legs were amazing today.”
Van Asbroeck’s triumph saw him move up to 11th place in the general classification, with Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek claiming the overall victory at Tour de la Provence.
