No one saw it coming in Novalja
22 years old. No pro wins on his record. Then, on Wednesday, everything changed. Carl-Frederik Bévort threw his arms in the air in Novalja at the end of the 114.5 km second stage of the CRO Race. A sprint. A burst of joy. The Uno-X Mobility rider clearly did not see that one coming either.
The day had started elsewhere, though. Szymon Wiśniewski and Jakob Slibar got away early and built up a lead of as much as two minutes. The peloton kept them on a short leash. They were caught with 26 km to go. From there, Uno-X Mobility, Soudal-QuickStep and UAE Team Emirates-XRG took control of the race, working together all the way to the final kilometre.
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A perfect launch, a finishing kick that made the difference
Henrik Pedersen did the hard graft. The well-drilled lead-out launched Bévort into the perfect spot at the decisive moment. Behind him, Nicolas Gojković (Pogi Team Gusto Ljubljana) could do nothing about it. Juan Sebastián Molano finished third on the stage, but he still holds the overall lead in yellow.
The gap is tiny. Four seconds separate the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider from his new Danish chaser. Sam Maisonobe, the Cofidis rider from France, sits third overall for now, not far off and still very much in the mix.
A deceptive profile, a finale that went to script
On paper, the stage had enough in it to trouble the pure sprinters. Two second-category climbs on the route. In reality, it was a largely flat day that ended with the expected bunch sprint. Bévort made the most of it to take a first win that Uno-X Mobility will not forget in a hurry. The CRO Race rolls on, and the overall standings are now split by just four seconds.
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