Lecerf seizes opportunity, climbs to ninth in Vuelta: "My focus will be on the GC"

The 22-year-old Lecerf was part of the large breakaway group, but the Belgian did not expect it to succeed, thanks to a lead of more than 13 minutes over the peloton. “I never thought I would be able to do something like this. I had dreamed about it, but actually doing it is something else altogether,” the number nine in the classification told Sporza, just before the second rest day.

Lecerf is only three seconds behind Sepp Kuss, who is in eighth place, even though a good GC finish was not the intention at all. “I started with the mindset of going for more stages, but the classification was still in the back of my mind because I had recently won the Tour of the Czech Republic. That is, of course, a much lower level, but I tried not to lose any time here in the first few days. ‘You never know, you might end up in the classification here,’ I thought.”

He certainly had his sights set on Sunday's stage. “I had the plan to sneak in there in my head even before the start, but I didn't know if it would actually work, because I didn't have the best legs on Saturday. But I immediately felt that they were good on Sunday. I saw the opportunity and seized it,” said Lecerf.

The Belgian is not going to get his hopes up for the rest of the Vuelta. “Okay, I do feel that there is still a serious difference between me and the absolute top riders like Jonas Vingegaard and João Almeida. Those guys are a lot better, and you can't catch up with them on the climbs,” Lecerf said realistically.

But there is always a but. “I was able to finish with the favorites a few times in the first week. On the Angliru, for example, I was thirteenth. I may have been a bit lucky with that breakaway, but I was already thirteenth before the stage. So I think my legs are good and that I should be able to hold my own next week,” he says optimistically.

The number nine in the GC appears to be in good shape, despite some challenges in weeks one and two. “It's been two really tough weeks. The second week in particular was really tough because of the course. The stages definitely take their toll.”

Especially since the Belgian crashed in the Angliru stage. “I was a bit stiff on Saturday because of that, but I've been able to make up for it. And I've already studied the last week. I think it will be less tough than week two,” he says, looking ahead to what is yet to come.

Being ninth in the GC, something will definitely change in the final week, as he will no longer be able to gain time from the breakaway. “That won't be possible anymore, because I'm only 5'49” behind. So the focus will really be on the GC. I'm looking forward to it, because there are still a few nice stages to come."

If he wants to stay in the top 10, Lecerf will have to keep Torstein Træen and Matteo Jorgenson behind him. The Norwegian is tenth, 44 seconds behind, while the American is 3 minutes and 3 seconds behind the Belgian. “We'll just keep going and trust the team. They will definitely help me,” he says confidently.