[29.07 19:26] Topping off what has been a satisfyingly successful week of racing for the team, Saxo Bank bagged their third stage victory of the tour. Matthew Goss won his second stage at this year’s Wallonie while acting as final lead-out man for the team’s sprinting ace, J.J. Haedo. Goss gave Haedo such a powerful advantage that Haedo saw no one could possibly challenge them, and allowed Goss to cross the line first as the winner on the stage. The team proved its strength even earlier in the day when it single-handedly pulled back a dangerous twelve man breakaway. Riding too much as a marked man, Alexandr Kolobnev was not allowed to gain the necessary time to usurp first place, though he held very steady in his third position overall. The team’s performance over the past week bodes well for their ambitions in upcoming races such as San Sebastian and the Tour of Poland.

Working hard in the wind

“It was a very good day for us today especially since we went 1-2 in the sprint final,” Directeur Sportif Brad McGee said. “It was a very tough day in the wind and the boys had to work really hard to regain control after that break of twelve slipped away.” Early on, a large group of riders escaped which contained many strong engines, including Saxo’s own J.J. Haedo. “We had J.J. in the escape group, but we didn’t like the composition of the break so I put the rest of the guys on the front to bring it back,” McGee said. “It was just our six guys working the chase after the group of twelve, so it was a really hard day for them, but it all turned out well.” Though Saxo Bank had their best sprinter in the break, as the lone Saxo rider against eleven adversaries, the odds were not in his favour. “It was a very exciting day, very fast from the beginning,” Haedo said. “It was good for me to be in the break, but since I was alone, the guys had to chase hard so that we could bring the odds back to our favour.” McGee knew how much work the team really had to put in to pull back the escape. “I felt bad asking the guys to work so hard today, but in the end it paid off since we got first and second for the stage,” he said.

Lining up for the sprint

Aside from winning the stage, Saxo Bank had also hoped to help Alex Kolobnev leap-frog into the overall lead. “We tried to work for Alex to get some extra time, but that wasn’t possible,” McGee said. Recognized as one of the strongest riders in the peloton, Kolobnev was not allowed to make a move without being marked by twenty other guys. “It was a hard, long race and quite good for me,” Kolobnev explained. “But everyone will always chase the good teams like Saxo Bank so in the end there was little else I could have done. But I’m happy with this result.” With no significant openings possible on the general classification, Saxo Bank turned its attention to winning the sprint finish. “After chasing so hard to bring the pack back together, the guys still managed to get me into perfect position for the sprint,” said Haedo, who had already won the second stage. “We had Matthew Goss lined up as last lead-out man for J.J. and when J.J. saw that no one was going to come around them, he put his hands up in the air and let Gossy take the win,” McGee said. “That is such a nice, generous gesture and not something that every sprinter would do.” The gentlemanly Haedo saw this as an opportunity to pay back the hard work his teammate has done all week. “I saw the chance to give Matthew the win and was glad to do it since he has been so strong all week,” Haedo said. “I really appreciate all the work he and the other guys do for me.”

Good form for late season

After a hard week of racing in Wallonie, the Saxo Bank riders feel well trained for their next projects. “We had a really great time this week and I told the guys before we started that we would have a really good week,” road captain Karsten Kroon said. “We showed some great teamwork, and this race is a perfect race to get started up again and ready for the last half of the season.” With Alex Kolobnev moving onto the Classica San Sebastian this Saturday, his time in Wallonie has done much to sharpen his fitness. “I feel very good after this week and really hope that I will have the same sensations for San Sebastian this weekend,” Kolobnev revealed. “I’m definitely coming into form for the next races.” J.J Haedo has also proved his fitness over the past five stages. “Next up for me is the Tour of Poland,” Haedo explained. “Matthew will be there and a few other guys from this race, so we hope that we can make something big happen there too.”