The Irishman demonstrated that he was in excellent shape throughout the Tour de l'Avenir. In the Tour of the Future's general classification, he finished fourth in the shirt of the Irish selection. In Slovakia, Ryan races for the main squad of Team Jumbo-Visma.

"I'm thrilled with this win". Ryan said. "It was a super tough ride today. The team was powerful on the climbs. I have to thank my team for all the help today."

The last kilometre included a challenging ascent over cobblestones in the center of Banská Stiavnica. "Normally, cobblestones are not really for me. Fortunately, the last climb was steep enough and I could make the difference."

Sports director Maarten Wynants was also thrilled with Ryan's victory. "If you consider Archie's background, this is a great victory. He has had several injuries in recent years. As we have seen, he has been in great form recently, and this win is a great confirmation of that."

Wynants thinks it extra special that a rider from the Development Team wins such a challenging stage in the Okolo Slovenska. "We are riding this race with a mix of professionals and boys from the development team. That is a very conscious choice, to let the boys gain experience. If they also seize the opportunities and finish it, that's great. Kudos to our boys." Ryan's stage win marks Team Jumbo-Visma's World Tour team's 43rd win of the season.