Ethan Vernon Triumphs in Debut Race for IPT at Tour des Alpes – Maritimes
A fantastic start for Ethan Vernon in the colors of IPT as he secured a spectacular victory in his inaugural race at the Tour des Alpes – Maritimes in Antibes. The 23-year-old Brit, who recently joined the team, clinched the victory with a powerful sprint, crediting his phenomenal legs and a terrific lead-out from teammate Guillaume Boivin.
Vernon, enthusiastically reflecting on his win, remarked, “We weren’t sure how hard it was going to be but in the end it was hard but I had good legs. I’ve just come off a good training camp so it was a bit of an unknown but like last year, I always start the season quite strong so I’m happy. It was a good day.”
Following a two-rider breakaway being caught inside the final 20 kilometers, Vernon surged ahead and triumphed with an impressive bike-length lead in the sprint.
Vernon, describing the exciting finish, revealed, “I knew a guy was still ahead and I was so focused on the race I wasn’t sure if we had caught him or not so just in case I didn’t celebrate but now I wish I had,”
Vernon expressed his gratitude for the IPT team’s support, stating, “In the last lap, my legs were good and I knew we could win. The guys were really strong and we lined it out in the last five to six kilometers and I thought we had gone too early to be honest but I was really impressed with how strong the guys were today.”
Looking ahead to the final stage, Vernon acknowledged the challenging nature of the upcoming race but remained positive about the team’s prospects. He mentioned, “I think tomorrow will be too hard for me but we will see. The legs were good today but our two goals were to win the stage today and stay in contention for the GC with the guys and we did both. So we need to see how tomorrow plays out. Now that I’ve won today there is no pressure for me and I can help the guys. We have a couple of cards to play.”
Despite only having one day of racing with IPT, Vernon already feels at home in the team. Excited about the opportunities that lie ahead with IPT, he expressed, “IPT offered me a really good opportunity to become a leader and ride the bigger classics and build a sprint train around me and I think I can already say I made the right decision.”
