INEOS prospect AJ August heads to the Vuelta with 2 stage wins in the Czech Republic, but misses out on final day

Alessandro Fancellu won the final stage of the Tour of the Czech Republic on Sunday. The Italian beat Andrew August of Netcompany INEOS, after the American had already won two stages. August did, however, claim the overall victory and will head to the Vuelta a España on the strength of that win.

August has already won two stages in the Central European race, which finished on the final day at Pustevny: a climb of nearly eight kilometers at a 6.7 percent gradient. Before the riders reached the base of that climb, they had to race 155 kilometers on mostly flat roads.

Geoffrey Bouchard, former king of the mountains in the Vuelta a España, was the biggest name in the early breakaway, which also included Jakob Otruba of Caja Rural-Czech and Fabrizio Crozzolo of Argentina. Meanwhile, Henri Vandenabeele, riding for Flanders Baloise, withdrew from the race.

Netcompany INEOS set the pace in the peloton and caught Bouchard, the last escapee, four kilometers from the finish. That was the signal for NSN to take control, although Jack Haig, riding for the British INEOS team, took over again.

The Aussie thus set up August’s signature move; according to reports, August has a VO2 max of over 90. The young American had another lead-out in Svestad-Bardseng, but this time he had no answer to Fancell’s (MBH Bank) surge and was thus unable to make it three out of three, though he could console himself with the overall victory.