Koldo 2nd on stage and overall in Picardie

Koldo proved me wrong my sprinting to a strong second place, and an even stronger second overall, in today's last stage in Picardie. Yesterday I wrote something along the lines of "Koldo showed he's far from top form", but obviously I was mistaken. Koldo came into the stage in seventh place but, due to winning an intermediate sprint and the bonus seconds that comes with second place, he jumped up to second overall just seven seconds back on overall winner Ben Swift. Great ride. The only rider capable of out-kicking Koldo today was the ever-impressive Jimmy Casper. The rest of the guys all ended up way back after giving it their all for Koldo's cause, and a strong Jorge Azanza even had to abandon underway, but only after being instrumental in setting up Koldo for the intermediate sprint. "The truth is I'm pleased with my performance in Picarde", Koldo told reporters afterwards. "I hope this is the first of many good results to come. I've been feeling good all three days, so a second place overall is positive."