Yesterday, winning the second stage of La Tropicale Amissa Bongo, Jerome Baugnies (Wanty - Groupe Gobert) took his second consecutive victory of his career and first in the outfit of his new Pro Consinental team, as he outsprinted race leader Luis Leon Sanchez (Caja Rural) and Natnael Berhane (MTN-Qhubeka).
The 26-year old Belgian managed to stay at a front of the leading group on the final climb and turned out to be the fastest cyclist of the day, as he outsprinted a winner of the opening stage and a huge favorite for an overall victory, Luis Leon Sanchez of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA.
Baugnies was ecstatic after claiming his second victory as a professional cyclist and admitted, that beating L.L. Sanchez on a finish line is something what he finds distinctive, as it cannot happen to everyone.
"I'm so happy!” exclaimed Baugnies. “Not only for myself but for the whole team. We have begun. The beating of Luis León Sánchez is not something given to everyone.
"[The local circuits] they were pretty heavy,” Baugnies added. “But I stayed calm. At the foot of the last climb, I was sitting in the first row. Attacks kept coming, but it still finished in a sprint. Where I knew I was going not be far away.
"I found myself in a very enthusiastic team with a lot of ambition,” Baugnies said of the new Wanty-Groupe Gobert team. “Where I can learn a lot from guys like [Björn] Leukemans, [Nico] Sijmens and [Frederik] Veuchelen.”
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