With the traditional final stage to Geraardsbergen, the Benelux Tour had reached its apotheosis. A quiet run-up from Namur towards the Flemish Ardennes was supposed to warm up the legs in the peloton, but that turned out differently.
After a lightning-fast opening phase, the odometer indicated more than 50 kilometers after one hour of racing. It therefore took a long time before a first flight was established, but not long after the local laps in and around Geraardsbergen had been completed, everything had to be redone.
Kasper Asgreen made the most impression during the first of three passages on the Muur van Geraardsbergen. The winner of the Tour of Flanders was accompanied by Matej Mohoric, Victor Campenaerts and Brandon McNulty. The four speed riders quickly got a minute ahead of each other.
When Campenaerts started shaking the tree at 30 kilometers from the finish, McNulty had to go overboard again, but at the last complete passage on the Muur the three leaders were caught up again.
Suddenly all the big names were back in front, but it was the industrious Mohoric who proved the strongest on the Wall. The Slovenian raced away, Asgreen, Wellens and a controlling Colbrelli bit their teeth on the Slovenian.
Mohoric soloed with force majeure towards the stage victory. In the final phase, teammate Colbrelli emphasized the Bahrain dominance by driving away with a strong Tom Dumoulin, taking the closest place of honor and securing the overall victory.
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Mohoric holds out and wins the final stage in the Benelux Tour, Colbrelli has won the final
“Today I was the strongest, but this week Colbrelli was the best”, day winner Mohoric opened afterwards. “We knew we were strong together, so we wanted to play our cards a little differently. We wanted to lure the others out of their room so that Sonny could follow. It worked out perfectly.”
“I didn’t necessarily want to attack so early, but Asgreen left so I had to follow. If I hadn’t attacked I would have assisted Sonny in the final phase, but I didn’t have to. Did I think of the overall victory myself? No, the Sonny’s lead was too big. The goal was to defend his jersey, but in the end we take everything, a dream day.”
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“I am happy with the way I was able to start the race,” said Victor Campenaerts, who finished 3rd in the final classification. “Asgreen immediately went full speed on the first passage on the Muur. I knew I couldn’t wait.”
“It was a very nice race, but when the peloton came back it became very difficult. I was able to keep my classification, although I might have hoped for an even better result.”
“Whether I can go to the World Cup? I don’t decide about that myself. I have shown that I have good legs, but it is about more than that. It is important how the national coach wants the team to coincide and what role I play in it. could get.”
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