It may not have exactly been one of the most conventional ways to take a first professional victory for Liam Slock on Sunday at the GP Gippingen, but it sure was a victory celebration that the Lotto-Intermarché rider, and the rest of the cycling world, won't forget in a hurry.
The long-running 176km UCI 1.1 race in Switzerland had a host of key names on the start line with hefty win lists. However, the 25-year-old became increasingly optimistic he could be in with a shot at his first as the race continued to progress through the 11 laps.
"The race had actually been going really well all day," said Slock in a team statement. "We were always where we needed to be every lap. At one point, a large group got away, and I was able to follow comfortably.
"When Aleksandr Vlasov and Richard Carapaz attacked in the finale, I decided to bridge across. That took a lot of energy because those guys are among the very best. But once I made it across, I tried to save as much energy as possible. I thought that if I managed to do that, I might be able to win."
That conserved energy did, as expected, prove valuable. Through the uphill sprint to the line, Slock pulled out a sizeable gap to Aleksandr Vlasov (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), who was the first in pursuit with Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) close behind. It was a substantial enough margin that the rider in his fourth year as a professional felt safe enough to celebrate in the final metres before he crossed the line.
That celebration set up a winning shot that would be unquestionably memorable, though perhaps not quite in the way Slock had expected it to be.
"The wind blew my handlebars away and down I went," said Slock, adding that "it’s a story worth framing".
The sting of the crash was numbed by the joy of victory as the solid margin meant that when his back rolled over the line, rather than his tyres, he still crossed just ahead of Vlasov despite the fumbled finish.
"Luckily the win came with it, otherwise this would probably have been the fail of the year," said Slock with a laugh.
"It feels a bit silly, but above all, I’m just incredibly happy."
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