Zingle sprints to first victory for Team Visma | Lease a Bike in opening stage of 4 Jours de Dunkerque
“I’m not the fastest sprinter at the start, but I know I can position myself well in the final kilometers. Thankfully, everything went perfectly today. I’m incredibly happy with this win, especially after being involved in a crash at the finish yesterday”, a delighted Zingle reflected. His victory also earned him the leader’s jersey in the general classification—a well-deserved reward for a strong team effort.
That team effort was evident from early in the race, with Team Visma | Lease a Bike immediately making its presence known. Without Julien Vermote, who was still suffering from injuries sustained in the Classique Dunkerque, Per Strand Hagenes broke away with five other riders. The traditional early breakaway built a lead of around three minutes, but the peloton remained firmly in control throughout.
That control paid off: with 11 kilometers to go, the breakaway was reeled in, and the sprint teams took over. Zingle positioned himself well in the chaotic final kilometers and stayed near the front. He then capped off the team’s work with an impressive and powerful sprint to take the win.
“We came here as a team aiming for stage wins, and it’s fantastic to already have one in the bag”
Axel Zingle
Thanks to his victory, the 26-year-old Frenchman now leads the general classification—a position he hopes to defend in the days ahead. “We came here as a team aiming for stage wins, and it’s fantastic to already have one in the bag. With both Per and myself well-placed in the GC, it would be great if we could hold onto those positions in the coming days”, Zingle concluded with determination.
4 Jours de Dunkerque / Grand Prix des Hauts de France
Stage 1
Result
Rankings
Result
1
Axel Zingle
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
03:51:10
2
Tobias Lund Andresen
Team Picnic PostNL
+00:00:00
3
Stian Fredheim
Uno-X Mobility
+00:00:00
39
Loe van Belle
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:00
50
Tosh Van der Sande
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:00
62
Menno Huising
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:00
68
Per Strand Hagenes
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:00
142
Daniel McLay
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:06:39
–
Julien Vermote
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
DNF
Rankings
1
Axel Zingle
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
03:51:00
2
Ben Swift
INEOS Grenadiers
+00:00:02
3
Per Strand Hagenes
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:03
41
Loe van Belle
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:10
52
Tosh Van der Sande
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:10
63
Menno Huising
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:00:10
143
Daniel McLay
Team Visma | Lease a Bike
+00:06:49
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Subjects
Cycling – World Tour men
Axel Zingle
1
4 Jours de Dunkerque / Grand Prix des Hauts de France
