AJ August is on a hot streak! Young American shares his Grand Tour ambitions after first overall victory

This week, the Tour of the Czech Republic and the Arctic Race of Norway took place. In the former, it was Andrew August who dominated and made his mark. The American, just 20 years old and already widely praised for his VO2 max, won two stages and claimed his first career overall victory. And that has him hungry for more.

Netcompany INEOS also rode for August on the final day, but in Stage 4 he was outpaced by Alessandro Fancellu. The youngster did, however, claim the overall victory. “It’s truly incredible. Of course, I’ve already had a great season with stage wins and victories in one-day races, but it’s a fantastic feeling to now clinch my first overall title.”

"I'd like to dedicate this victory to Fin Tarling; our thoughts are with his family and friends," said August, who had a great week. "Actually, I believed I could do it from the moment I won that second stage. I knew my legs were in great shape, so I was very confident. But I also knew it wouldn’t be easy to hold onto the yellow jersey."

"I'm most proud of my team. The way they raced today was truly incredible. And not just today—every single day. So yes, that's what I'm most proud of," he says, thanking Jack Haig, among others, for their hard work.

Normally, August—who has already won stages in Valencia and the Basque Country this year—will be at the start of his first Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España, next week. In the long term, he also hopes to compete for the top spots in the three-week races. “It’s definitely a career goal of mine to one day compete at the top for the general classification, so why not?”