Lund Andresen beats sprint elite at Tirreno-Adriatico: “I couldn’t believe I’d made such a big step”

After a long day in the saddle, the finish in Magliano de’ Marsi turned into a long sprint too. “Ask Jonathan Milan — he had to go even further than I did,” Lund Andresen laughed in his flash interview. “My plan was to start early and make it a long sprint. If everyone has cold legs after an easy run-in, you all have roughly the same top speed. I just wanted to be the first one there.”

Most eyes were on the big names: Milan, Jasper Philipsen, Arnaud De Lie, Paul Magnier and Sam Welsford. But when it mattered, it was Lund Andresen who finished fastest. Nothing was gifted — he simply had the best speed on the line. “It feels amazing,” he said. “A win at Tirreno means a lot. It’s one of the biggest races of the year, so to win here is really fantastic.”

It was his third victory of the season, and the 22-year-old had hoped his move to the French squad would help him take the next step in his career. So far, it looks less like a step and more like a leap. “It’s honestly been unbelievable up to now,” Lund Andresen said. “I couldn’t believe myself that I could make such a big step. But the team gives me so much, and they keep giving. This team is great.”

Afterwards, Lund Andresen reflected on a stage that was long, straightforward — and soaked for large parts of the day. “Today was okay, because we had time to put on rain jackets,” he explained to Cycling Pro. “The first 150 kilometres feel like a big training ride — you’re chatting with friends. With 30 kilometres to go, it suddenly feels like a new race.”

Just like their sprinter, Decathlon CMA CGM also looked like a team that has levelled up. The French squad dominated the final kilometre, delivering Lund Andresen into position at exactly the right moment.

“It was a nice finish,” he said. “In the end it didn’t rain too hard, so I’m happy with that. My lead-out is so good — they deserve a big congratulations for the work they did. They’re really committed, and they followed the plan perfectly.”

Road captain Oliver Naesen has been one of the key pieces in the Decathlon CMA CGM sprint train, and he can see first-hand how quickly his young teammate is developing.

“To win a stage on a finish like this against guys like Jonathan Milan and Jasper Philipsen — it’s great for Tobias, and of course for the whole team,” Naesen said.

He also stressed that on a long, straight run-in like this, it is about far more than just raw speed. Positioning, timing and the work beforehand all matter — and Decathlon CMA CGM executed better than anyone.

“On an uphill drag like this it’s not only the legs,” Naesen explained. “It’s also the preparation in the run-in, so he can free himself in the last few hundred metres.”