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Lobato climbs to 5th place on the Mur de Saint-Roche finish

Juan Jose Lobato climbed to fifth place on the Mur de Saint-Roche in the Tour de Wallonie stage three. LottoNL-Jumbo team-mate Amund Grohndahl Jansen animated the early hours with an escape. 

On the tricky climb in Houffalize, Dylan Teuns won. With his stage win, Teuns took over the lead in the classification. 

“That was a good thing that Amund escaped,” Sports Director Addy Engels said. “We knew the final would be very hard and only Juan Jose would be able to compete for the top places. 

“We are here with a group of riders who have freedom for themselves. We want to ride aggressively and attack. Yesterday, we had Victor in the breakaway and today Amund. It is a pity they did not stay away, but with a final like today’s, that is difficult. 

“In the end, Lobato rode the last climb strongly and you can see that he is in good form again. This last climb was fair, meaning you could not hide on it. His fifth place today meant he was the fifth strongest rider.” 

On paper, tomorrow is a day for the sprinters. The team will have the same goals as the last stages. 

“It will be difficult for a breakaway to make it to the finish, but our guys are free to take their chances. 

“If there teams who want to sprint and control the race, we can always ride for Juan Jose. As I said, he is in form and really quick.”

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