The last stage of the 81st SkodaTour Luxembourg presented many challenges. On the hilly course of 183,7 km between Mersch and Luxembourg City, four categorized climbs had to be tackled.

The breakaway group was formed by Benjamin King (Rallye), Otto Vergaerde (Alpecin), Morten Hulgaard (Uno-X Pro) and Kenny Molly (Bingoal). They took a lead of more than six minutes, but in the end, they had no chance against the peloton.

Finally, David Gaudu (Groupama) won the stage with an attack in the last kilometer, ahead of Joao Almeida (Deceuninck) and Pierre Latour (Total Energies).

Portuguese rider Joao Almeida (Deceuninck) secured the overall victory. He wins this SkodaTour Luxembourg with a lead of 46” over Marc Hirschi (UAE Emirates) and 1’05” over Mattia Cattaneo (Deceuninck).

Joao Almeida: “I wasn’t able to respond to all the attacks in the final. It wasn’t enough to catch David Gaudu, even if I was close. My team did a great job. This final victory gives me a lot of confidence. Now it’s time for the world championships. It will be a completely different race on a difficult course that doesn’t suit me 100 per cent. Nevertheless, I will give everything for Portugal. But before that, I need to rest.”

David Gaudu: “I knew that I had to attack after the last climb. I told my teammate Thibaut Pinot that it shouldn’t happen on the climb itself, but after. I am very happy that it was enough in the end. This SkodaTour Luxembourg surprised me. It was a nice race and the circuit was not dangerous. We are happy that we could be here.”