Kusztor Takes Sixth on Final Stage of the International Rhodes Tour
08 March 2020
Date: 8th March 2020
Race: International Rhodes Tour, Stage 3
Start/Finish: Rhodes/Rhodes, Greece
Distance: 156 kilometers
Peter Kusztor (HUN)
The final stage of the International Rhodes Tour had the most climbing of the three-day race. A breakaway of three guys went straight out of the neutral zone, which the leading GC teams let go.
We knew that there could be opportunities because of the climbs, so I tried to attack and take some guys with me. We created a small gap but couldn’t bridge over to the leading trio. The bunch ended up bringing us back. After this, I tried to relax a little, refueled, and prepared for the next climb.
The bunch was reducing the gap, and as we hit the steepest parts of the climbs, I couldn’t stay with the first ten guys, so I rode my tempo and made it back on the descents.
The last 50 kilometers to the finish was hard racing. I was part of a group of around 20-riders, and we caught the original breakaway with maybe two kilometers to go. I
Usually, I don’t sprint very well, but I could see who the fastest guys were and tried to position myself on the right wheel as we hit the final meters.
I’m happy with sixth place in a sprint against some big, fast guys. Overall, we had a really positive experience here in Rhodes. It’s a great part of the job getting to go to new places. For me and the entire squad here, it was a good start to the season.
Result
In addition to sprinting to sixth on Stage 3, Hungarian Peter Kusztor finished 10th overall, 0:26 behind overall race winner Søren Waerenskjold (Joker Fuel of Norway).