Joppe Heremans wins fourth stage in Ster van Bessèges, Lukas Kubis just misses out again
Joppe Heremans has won the fourth stage of the Étoile de Bessèges. The 22-year-old Belgian, who switched from VolkerWessels to Van Rysel Roubaix this past winter, proved too strong on a challenging finish for Lukas Kubis and Paul Lapeira. Kubis had to settle for second place once again but remains the leader in the general classification.
On day four of the Étoile de Bessèges, the route featured a relatively flat stage. However, the finish in Vauvert included a tough uphill section. The fast men had a chance, but the stronger sprinters held the advantage. Would Unibet Rose Rockets finally hit the mark after three second places? On paper, it was a perfect finish for the GC leader Lukas Kubis.
The traditional early breakaway consisted of Italian Tommaso Bessega (Polti VisitMalta) and two French riders: Clément Davy (Nice Métropole Côte d'Azur) and Valentin Retailleau (TotalEnergies). In the peloton, Alpecin-Premier Tech took charge of the chase. As the finale approached, other teams joined the pursuit, but Davy and Retailleau—Bessega had already been dropped—held on tenaciously. They began the final three kilometers with about a ten-second lead.
Heremans beats Kubis and Lapeira
The sprint buildup was now fully underway, and the attackers had no chance to stay ahead. Just before the red kite flag, they were caught. It then came down to a sprint. Kubis was well-positioned, but Joppe Heremans launched his effort earlier. The Belgian from Van Rysel Roubaix had plenty of power in the legs. Neither Kubis nor Paul Lapeira was able to overtake him. This secured the 22-year-old’s first professional victory.
Kubis finished second for the third time this week. The Slovak champion now holds a firmer grip on the general classification lead. Before Sunday’s 10.3-kilometer closing time trial, he leads by thirteen seconds over second-placed Henri Uhlig.
