Danish Worlds reserve outsprints Stuart O’Grady
Jonas Aaen Jørgensen took out today’s Grand Prix d’Isbergues – Pas de Calais, a French 1.1 race, one of many that act as tune-ups for the World Championships later in the week. The Danish rider, listed as a reserve on the home country’s roster for the road race in Copenhagen, beat Stuart O’Grady (Leopard-Trek) to the line.
“It is amazing to see Jonas win,” team director Fabrizio Guidi praised after the race. “He’s been showing progress throughout the season and I’m so happy to see him take this victory. But the whole team was great today.”
“We had guys in every break and they were showing an aggressive attitude. This is surely an important win for Jonas but it is a great win for the team.”
In his second year as a professional, Jørgensen is maintaining energy at the tail end of a long season. After completing the Flemish Classics for the first time this spring, Jørgensen has spent his late summer in Poland and Spain, where the Dane recently completed the Vuelta a España.
With 40 kilometers to race in the GP d’Isbergues, Jørgensen took off from the main bunch with team-mate Baden Cooke, O’Grady, and two others. The quintet worked together to reel in an early breakaway before O’Grady launched a solo move. Jørgensen jumped across and the team-mates from one year ago went away.
On the final of a series of finishing circuits, Jørgensen led O’Grady toward a man-up sprint. “I just pulled away as hard as I could and I was sure that Stuey was bluffing but I let him stay behind,” the 25-year-old explained at the finish. “On the finish line we were able to see the galloping pack behind us, and I started sprinting expecting to see him pass me before the finish line. But I noticed that he was just as tired as I was and I just kept sprinting and took the win.”
Showing respect for the Aussie veteran, the Danish rider sounded extremely satisfied to take his first win of the season. “It wasn’t until my way up to the podium ceremony that I actually realized that I did in fact beat him,” Jørgensen marvelled. “This is a huge win for me and I’m proud that I was able to pull it off. I was dead tired after the Vuelta, but apparently I’ve recovered well because to beat a man like Stuey was unthinkable until today.”
German road champion Robert Wagner (Leopard-Trek) led the peloton home eight seconds behind the duo, ahead of Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil-DCM) and Alexander Kristoff (BMC Racing Team).
“It’s a pity that Stuey couldn’t win what is maybe his last race for the team,” Wagner added at the finish. “He said he had a puncture and some problems with cramping. There’s bad luck with that.”
“Still, for us, it’s a great result. For me, the guys helped a lot in the sprint. I won the bunch sprint. The other guys gave me a lot of confidence with their support, and I really enjoyed the race. I mean, I really, really enjoyed racing with them,” said Wagner.