Posted17 avril 2022, 19:00
The Thurgovian, excellent 3rd in Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, confirmed that he could fight with the best. He can now think about his marriage, then the Tour de Suisse.
Stefan Küng fully assumed his role as co-favorite on Sunday on the dry cobblestones of the Hell of the North.
AFP
Stefan Küng, regularly cited among the favorites before the start, finished on the third step of the podium on Sunday on the occasion of the 119th Paris-Roubaix. Trapped like everyone else by the start of the Dutchman Dylan van Baarle, who will win with 1’47” in advance, the 28-year-old Thurgovian was beaten in the sprint for second place by the Belgian Wout Van Aert.
Little cobbler looking for big brother
Although he was not entitled to the big day of glory, Stefan Küng easily managed to be satisfied with this podium, which comes to complete a superb spring for him. “I would obviously prefer to have won. But it’s certainly a great performance for me to finish on the podium in Roubaix, said the rider from the Groupama-FDJ team. Despite all the problems I’ve had on these roads in the past (editor’s note: falls in 2017, 2018 and 2021), I continued to say and think that this race was the most beautiful of all, the one I preferred. Unless your name is Fabian Cancellara or Tom Boonen, it’s impossible to plan a win here. So I will have to content myself with putting a little cobblestone in my living room. This will allow me to remember that one day, I could offer him his big brother.
“On a mental level, I now have confidence in my ability to follow the best”
The outcome suited Stefan Küng all the better as the day had started badly, with this edge which relegated him – like all the other main contenders – to the second peloton after about fifty kilometers. “We looked at each other a little but thanks to the work of my team, I was able to stay in position, he says. Afterwards, it was a bit of a tactical game, where it was not always easy to see clearly.
A future groom
He never lost his lucidity. Neither his legs, which held the shock until the end, confirming his membership in the category of heavyweights. “I have taken big steps in the Classics this year, rejoices the Thurgovian. On a mental level, I now have confidence in my ability to follow the best and compete with them. It is also this confidence in myself, as well as that of the team, which allowed me to remain calm today (editor’s note: Sunday) in difficult times.”
After Calvary, comfort. Stefan Küng, who will marry his partner on May 6, will pull the plug for a while to focus on the next Tour de Suisse, then the Tour de France. New opportunities to measure progress.