Tour de Hongrie

Cosnefroy triumphed in Paks

The chaotic 206-kilometer stage from Szarvas to Paks was won by Benoit Cosnefroy (UAE Team Emirates), one of the race’s top contenders, who also took the lead in the general classification.

Sunny, warm weather greeted the Tour de Hongrie peloton in Szarvas, where the riders made their entrance against the impressive backdrop of the Szarvas Water Theater. This time there were only 110 riders, as Iuri Leitao (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) and Harm Vanhoucke (Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling) were unable to start. Ahead of the finish in Paks, the riders faced 206 kilometers, three sprint sprints, and the race’s first categorized climb. The route once again favored the sprinters, though the final kilometer of the climb added an extra element of unpredictability to the race.

The starting ribbon was cut by Pál Hodálik, mayor of Szarvas; Dávid Gombár, member of the National Assembly; Dr. Edit Horváthné Kepenyes, Secretary of Szarvas; Dr. Györgyi Lénártné Belicza, Deputy Secretary; and Károly Eisenkrammer, the general director of Tour de Hongrie.

The day’s breakaway took shape after a lengthy battle, with five riders eventually managing to escape: Márkó Tóth (Team United Shipping), Márk Varga (Hungarian national team), Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek), Kay de Bruyckere (Pauwels Sauzen - Altez Industriebouw), and Adrian Benito (Team Polti VisitMalta). The peloton kept the breakaway on a tight leash throughout: thanks to the work of Soudal Quick-Step and Bahrain Victorious, the gap peaked at 2 minutes. Zsombor Takács of the MBH Bank CSB Telekom Fort team attempted to catch up with the breakaway on his own, but his effort was unsuccessful.

De Bruyckere won the first intermediate sprint of the day in Kiskunfélegyháza, while Benito took the second. Márkó Tóth earned a two-second time bonus in the two intermediate sprints, taking the lead in the Hungarian riders' standings.

Surprisingly, the breakaway was caught by the peloton even before the last intermediate sprint. Here, Kristian Egholm (Lidl-Trek) gained another three seconds, catching up to the race leader, Tim Merlier. Among the GC contenders, Benoit Cosnefroy increased his lead over his main rivals to four seconds with another second gained.

Following the intermediate sprint, Erik Fetter (Team United Shipping) launched an attack, but his move was short-lived—as they crossed the Danube, Cofidis and UAE Team Emirates set a blistering pace in the crosswinds, caught up to Fetter, and then tore the peloton to pieces. During the chaotic kilometers, the yellow jersey holder, Tim Merlier, also remained in the rear group.

Cofidis’s Edoardo Zamperini won the race’s first mountain sprint, allowing him to wear the red jersey on Friday. It was then that a 10-rider breakaway formed, which included the aforementioned Cosnefroy. Attacks came thick and fast over the final 20 kilometers, until the Frenchman made his move on the final uphill kilometer, breaking away from the pack to claim victory. Alexis Renard (Cofidis) finished second, and Max Kanter (XDS Astana) third.

Cosnefroy has also taken the lead in the general classification—thanks to time bonuses and time gains, he holds a 4-second advantage over Egholm and a 6-second lead over Merlier. The Belgian sprinter from Soudal Quick-Step continues to lead the points classification. In the Hungarian riders' classification, Erik Fetter (Team United Shipping) has taken the lead.