“I’m incredibly happy with this victory,” Van Kerckhove reflects. “As a team, we did an amazing job throughout the stage, and I quickly realized I had strong legs. On the final climb, I was able to make the difference and give it my all until the finish. It’s fantastic to win like this, and I’ll do everything I can to defend the leader’s jersey tomorrow.”

In the queen stage of the Croatian stage race, the yellow-black squad was alert at the front from the very beginning. On the penultimate climb of the day, the peloton thinned considerably, after which Van Kerckhove launched an attack at the top.

The nineteen-year-old Belgian was joined by six riders, and together they started the final climb. In the last kilometers, Van Kerckhove took the initiative, broke away from his companions, and rode solo to victory.

Sports director Sierk Jan de Haan was proud of his team: “Today, we raced a very strong stage as a team. We were alert all day, and Matisse showed on the climbs that he had good legs. That he ultimately won and took the lead in the general classification is fantastic.”