On Monday, April 28th, Felix Ørn-Kristoff won the fourth stage of the Tour de Bretagne, and in doing so, the young Norwegian rider from Wanty-NIPPO-ReUz seized the leader's jersey.
At just 19 years old, Alexander Kristoff’s younger brother achieved his first victory in a UCI event thanks to perfect management of his efforts on this 205 kilometer stage. Shortly after the halfway point, he first followed the strong acceleration of Lidl-Trek Future Racing in the peloton, and then joined a counter-attack behind the early breakaway at the entrance to the local circuit of Landévant.
In the last hour, Felix Ørn-Kristoff found himself at the front of the race in a group of nine riders, who ultimately contested the stage victory. Attentive to Jackson Medway’s acceleration approaching the red flag, he was the only one able to follow the Australian, ultimately dropping him in the final 300 meters to win with a 2 second advantage.
In the general classification, the future rider of World Team Intermarché-Wanty enjoys a 5 second lead over his runner-up with three days of racing remaining, and also holds the best young rider’s jersey. Until now, the young riders directed by Kévin van Melsen had achieved two top 10 finishes thanks to the sprinters Tobias Müller and Zeno Moonen in the first two stages.
“I’m very proud to win this fourth stage, because it was a particularly hard day. On the climbs in the beginning I was already pretty much pushing all I had and later on the local laps which were easier on paper I was still suffering. I was also nervous when the first group went up the road, because I believed it was the decisive move. Luckily I managed to make the junction with another group. Once in the lead of the race I was still not feeling well and hoping for a top 10 or the youth jersey. But in the end I think it was hard for everyone, as all of a sudden the attacks stopped and I still managed to finish strong. A long race with slow attrition suits me very well. To beat riders of this level you really need to be on top of your game. I am very happy to open my victory count in the U23 category in this way.”
