Archie Ryan took another top ten finish at the Ronde de l’Isard on Friday, despite sacrificing his chances in riding for his teammate, the race leader Johannes Staune-Mittet.
Ryan finished ninth on the tough mountain stage, performing strongly for Jumbo-Visma Development Team stablemate Staune-Mittet during the 126.3 kilometre race. He rode hard to protect the Norwegian’s lead on the final climb, controlling his two closest rivals and helping him put time into others.
This output ultimately sapped his energy and saw him finish 36 seconds behind the solo stage winner Lenny Martinez (Equipe Continentale Groupama-FDJ).
[ Archie Ryan takes eighth on mountain stage in Ronde de l’IsardOpens in new window ]
[ Archie Ryan targets next big goal after Slovakian successOpens in new window ]
Staune-Mittet placed sixth, conceding 32 seconds, but holds onto his overall lead with two stages remaining. Ryan continues to move up the overall classification. Despite missing the key breakaway on stage one and losing ten minutes, he is now up five places to ninth overall.
Ryan has had a fine season with the team, taking a number of strong stage results and overall classification finishes in prestigious events, and winning a stage of the recent Tour of Slovakia. His work in the Ronde de l’Isard will further boost his standing with the squad, which is the youth outfit attached to this year’s Tour de France-winning Jumbo-Visma team.
