This time we didn’t get into the breakaway, but we showed ourself where it mattered: in the final.
Tata-SzĂ©kesfehĂ©rvár stage was held on the 100-year-old Tour de Hongrie on Saturday. Our goal was to keep Bálint Feldhoffer’s overall position. However, we missed the breakaway this time.
The peloton started nervously the last 20 kilometers, and the washing machine effect essentially started at this point. The last part of the stage was held on a circuit next to the SzĂ©kesfehĂ©rvár Arena, where János Pelikán launched an attack. Unfortunately, PJ’s advantage was never bigger than a few seconds, so the bunch caught him.
Before the sprint, Jayco-Alula was leading the peloton. Team United Shipping sprinter Mihajlo Stolić was also there with the big guys. Our Serbian rider almost managed to catch Dylan Groenewegen’s wheel at one point in the sprint, and ended up in 9th place. Dylan Groenewegen won the stage. Bálint Feldhoffer awaits the final stage from sixth place overall.
Mihajlo Stolić after his 9th place:
“Today was incredibly hectic — with a strong wind coming from all directions. We knew the final laps would be even tougher, so our goal was to be in the best possible position within the group at the entrance. The pace was high and the tension was constant. The course itself added to the challenge — it was very narrow with lots of curves, which actually suits me better as it’s more technical. Still, it was more difficult than in the first two stages to stay in front and fight for position, which turned out to be crucial.
I entered the final corner before the sprint in a solid position, right alongside Groenewegen. But in the chaos, someone bumped my brake lever, shifting my chain onto the small sprocket. I quickly tried to recover and get the chain back in place to continue fighting for the final sprint. I lost a bit of position there, but I’m absolutely thrilled — I still can’t believe I managed to finish the sprint in 9th place again.”
Bálint Feldhoffer after his first day in the white jersey:
“First of all, I’m very happy that we kept our position in the top 10, and it was good to ride in the white jersey. However, it was a very stressful day because of the wind. The positioning was key all day, and the last fifty kilometers were even more hectic. But we kept the white jersey and our overall position, so generally it was a good day. On Sunday, basically our main goal will be to keep the overall position, but if we the race will be selective, then either me or someone else can achieve a good position on the stage.”
đź“·Photos: Jakab Rokob