Tiesj Benoot finishes fifth in opening stage of Tour de Luxembourg

The 83rd edition of the Tour of Luxembourg started off with a challenging 155-kilometre stage with steep climbs. The peloton caught the breakaway in the final kilometers, but Tiesj Benoot had a strong final effort and finished fifth on the sloping last meters.

Sports director Maarten Wynants expressed satisfaction with Benoot’s performance, saying, “We can be happy with this result… It was a successful final for Tiesj.” He also mentioned the team’s goal to have Tim van Dijke in the lead group, but noted that he finished fifteen seconds behind the stage winner.

Wynants continued, “We’re expecting some challenging stages to come… Fighting for the overall win or a place on the final podium may be unrealistic, but we are taking it day by day.”

The first stage of the Tour de Luxembourg was won by Corbin Strong of Israel – Premier Tech. Benoot finished fifth, with his teammates Sam Oomen, Koen Bouwman, Steven Kruijswijk, Tim van Dijke, and Archie Ryan also in the race.

The overall rankings after the first stage have Corbin Strong in the lead, followed by Søren Kragh Andersen and Alex Aranburu. Tiesj Benoot is currently fifth in the overall standings.

The Škoda Tour Luxembourg is part of the UCI World Tour men’s cycling events.