Lotto–Dstny's Victor Campenaerts made history on Thursday by winning stage 18 of the Tour de France, marking his first-ever stage victory in this prestigious race. The 179.5-kilometer hilly stage took riders from Gap to Barcelonnette, offering a challenging terrain that tested the competitors' endurance and strategy.
Campenaerts, 32, showcased his tactical prowess by staying in the leading trio alongside Michal Kwiatkowski of Poland and Frenchman Matteo Vercher. As the race progressed, the Belgian timed his move perfectly, launching a powerful sprint in the final 200 meters to clinch the win.
The victory was a deeply emotional moment for Campenaerts, who immediately shared the good news with his girlfriend and child via a video call. \"I've been dreaming about this for a very, very long time,\" he said, visibly moved. \"After the Classics, I had a very difficult time. I had a verbal agreement with the team about extending the contract and I got ignored for a long time and it was really difficult.\"
Reflecting on his journey, Campenaerts mentioned the support from his girlfriend during his challenging training phases. \"She (girlfriend) is the hero in this story. I'm so grateful that she made this possible, that I had a super long altitude camp to prepare for this Tour de France,\" he added.
The trio had broken away approximately 35 kilometers from the finish and maintained their lead against a pursuing group of five riders. In the final moments, Campenaerts strategically positioned himself to overtake Kwiatkowski and Vercher, securing a triumphant first place. Vercher finished second, while Kwiatkowski took third place.
The chasing pack, including notable riders like Jai Hindley and Wout Van Aert, finished 22 seconds behind. Meanwhile, Tadej Pogacar and the yellow jersey group concluded the stage nearly 14 minutes later to conserve energy for the upcoming mountain stages.
With this victory, Campenaerts plans to leave his team on a high note. \"I will be leaving the team, but I'm so happy that I can finish off with maybe the highlight of my career. We will celebrate tonight!\" he exclaimed.
The Tour de France now moves into the Alps, with stage 19 scheduled for a 145-kilometer ride from Embrun to Isola 2000 on Friday.
Reference(s):
Campenaerts prevails in trio sprint to win Tour de France stage 18
cgtn.com
