Holowesko-Citadel finds success in first European race
Holowesko-Citadel's first European race as a newly minted Pro Continental outfit provided plenty of silver linings for the US team, with 2018 recruit Fabian Lienhard winning the opening stage at the Tour de Normandie in France and wearing the leader's yellow jersey for four days.
Lienhard eventually slipped to 11th overall in the sprint-friendly race, but the team's John Murphy finished ninth in the general classification. Nicolai Brochner, who earned five top-10 stage finishes in the seven-day UCI 2.2 race, was 13th overall.
Lienhard made it into a small breakaway near the end of the opening stage and then dominated the sprint to take the win and earn the first yellow jersey along with leading the points and best young rider classifications.
"Fabian took over in the last kilometer because the field was charging hard, and then he just destroyed them in the sprint," Holowesko-Citadel director Thomas Craven told Cyclingnews Sunday after the final stage.
Lienhard held the jersey the next day when Brochner took third, and he finished second on stage 3 to maintain his lead. Brochner finished second on stage 4, snatching up time bonuses to help protect Lienhard's lead, while the Swiss rider continued his grasp on the points and youth classifications.
Things went a little south for the team on stage 5, when a group of six got away and Holowesko missed the boat. Lienhard finished in the field 49 seconds back and lost his overall lead, while Murphy led a small chase group to the line 16 seconds back. Brochner was third again on stage 6, with Lienhard coming in a few places back in fifth. The final stage saw the team's Miguel Bryon crack the top 10 in seventh.
Dipping their toes in the European pond
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com