At the 2nd stage of the Baltic Chain Tour in Sigulda, Latvia, covering a distance of 162 km, the rider from Alpecin-Deceuninck’s development team, Henri Uhlig, secured the victory. Over the course of two days, the 22-year-old German rose to second place overall, trailing leader Rait Ärm by only two seconds.
The decisive factor for the stage victory was indeed the finishing climb, which extended over a kilometer. However, prior to that, an 11-member breakaway group had caused significant concern for both the Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team and the Estonian national team, which defended the leader’s jersey. The breakaway formed after slightly over 50 kilometers of racing.
Tartu2024 Cycling Team was the only team with representation in the leading trio, including Markus Pajur, who had stood out on the opening day, and Aaron Aus, who held the second position in the young rider classification. The breakaway also included the second-place rider in the general classification, Norwegian Daniel Aarnes from the Uno-X Dare development team.
The peloton chased the breakaway for over a hundred kilometers, with most of the work being done by the Estonian national team and Alpecin-Deceuninck. The gap remained around one and a half minutes for a long time, and it never got closer. Eventually, the pursuit paid off, and the last three escapees were caught just a few kilometers before the finishing climb. These riders were Markus Pajur, Lithuanian Žygimantas Matuzevicius (Kaunas Cycling Team), and Dutchman Wessel Mouris (Scorpions Racing Team).
In the finishing climb, Henri Uhlig, who had secured third place on the opening day, was the fastest by far, claiming his first UCI victory of the current season. His time was 3:22.01. His closest challengers trailed by three seconds, with Danish rider Malte Hellerup from Aalborg Sparekassen amateur team finishing second and another Danish rider, Mads Landbo (Uno-X Dare development team), taking third place. Behind the winner, Rait Ärm crossed the finish line in seventh place, maintaining the leader’s jersey.
Ärm’s lead over Uhlig diminished to a mere two seconds, while Italian rider Filippo Fortin (Maloja Pushbikers) is in third place, trailing by 20 seconds.
Only one more stage remains in the tour, a 157 km challenge in the vicinity of Panevezys, Lithuania. The start is scheduled for Sunday, August 20th, at 11:00. Those interested can follow the events through live broadcasts on the Baltic Chain Tour’s website and Facebook page (in English), as well as on Delfi’s platform.
