UAE Team Emirates has continued to dominate the pack recently, with Marc Hirschi winning the second stage of the 2024 Czech Tour to take the yellow jersey and Diego Ulissi completing a one-two finish for the UAE.
With about 40km to go and the first of Pustevny’s two climbs beginning, four riders had joined the day’s breakaway and their lead over the peloton was only around a minute.
As the climb began, Stage 1 winner and yellow jersey wearer Luke Lamperti of Soudal-QuickStep was rapidly falling behind, while at the front Michal Scheueren was proving to be the fastest of the breakaway group, but at the top of the climb he was caught and overtaken by British climber Paul Double.
After the double was caught by the group, there was another ferocious attack on the false flat before the final climb of the day, Pustevny’s second climb, but the rubber never broke. After that the group stuck together and the next big attack came as Michael Stohler tried to break away with about 4km to go.
However, the Australian struggled to pull away, with the likes of Marc Hirschi and Sérgio Higuita following him with relative ease. In fact, it was Team DSM-Firmenich Post NL’s Kevin Vermarke who first created a gap. In the final kilometre, Hirschi launched a fierce counter attack on the American, catching and passing Vermarke for a stunning stage win. Joined by teammate Diego Ulissi, it was a one-two finish for UAE Team Emirates.
Results provided by FirstCycling.com
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