Pascal Ackermann finished in third place again on stage 13 of the Tour de France, which turned into a real leg-breaker of a crosswind stage.
“Third again, and I don’t really know what I could have done differently today,” Ackermann explained. “It was a real epic stage. The team was amazing once again, and I think we showed everybody that we are not just a team from the second division but one of the best teams here. I’m really proud of the guys.”
Early in the stage, a big group of over 20 riders managed to get away. Hugo Houle and Jakob Fuglsang were quick to join the move, but the peloton was not in the mood to let the break go. In the first crosswind section, the bunch split up, with only a handful of riders left in the front echelon, amongst them was Ackermann.
“Visma went all in on one of the first climbs in the crosswind, and I was a bit proud of myself as I was one of the few guys following, with only GC favorites in the group. It was a really nice feeling. For sure, it was hard on the legs, but I managed to recover well afterward.”
The pace never really dropped throughout the stage as the peloton split up several times towards the finish line. The IPT riders were always well represented near the front, and in the final kilometers, the team set up Ackermann perfectly for the sprint. Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out as hoped for.
“It was a really messy final with a late crash, and once again, somebody hit my front wheel in the sprint, which really took out my speed, and I had to launch again. It’s frustrating. However, before the Tour started, I don’t think anybody was expecting me to be this good, but I wanted to show that I’m still there with the best riders. I think I can be really proud of myself, and I hope to continue like this. On Tuesday, we have another chance,” Ackermann concluded.
