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Caleb Ewan sprints to second in nail biting final of Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
Lotto Soudal rider Caleb Ewan has finished second at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne after a thrilling final. Laporte, Narváez and van der Hoorn, the last remaining escapees – part of a sizeable group which got away on the climb of the Knokteberg – were only caught in the closing kilometre. In the bunch sprint, Caleb Ewan made his way to the front and did everything he could to sprint to the win, but had to settle for second place in the end. Fabio Jakobsen won Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, Hugo Hofstetter completed the podium.
“We had to spend a lot of energy to reel the remaining escapees back in. Frederik and Cedric did some amazing work at the front, but that way I only had Jasper with me in the final kilometre. Jasper still did a great job, but with just the two of us, it would always be hard to manage such a hectic final. Nevertheless, he guided me through and then I had to do my own thing at the end. I turned that last corner really far back so I knew I needed a really good run to the line to step onto the podium or to get the win. I guess I got lucky coming on the right side of the road, but I lacked the kick to beat Fabio today”, reacts Caleb Ewan.
Shortly after the start of the 74th Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, the peloton was happy to let a seven-rider breakaway up the road. Lotto Soudal, among others, kept the seven within striking distance and protected its sprinter Caleb Ewan, who made a strong impression on the climbs. With around 100 kilometres remaining, the climbs followed in quick succession as the peloton upped the pace significantly. However, some gaps only started to appear on the Côte du Trieu, where a sizeable group got away.
Lotto Soudal missed the move but joined forces with the other sprint teams to rectify the situation. Frederik Frison and Cedric Beullens, among others, rode their hearts out to catch the front group. In a thrilling final, three remaining escapees looked set to surprise the peloton, but were eventually caught in the final kilometre. A bunch sprint would decide the winner of the race, with Caleb Ewan making his way through the pack to challenge for the win. In the end the fast Aussie had to settle for second as Jakobsen took the win. Despite missing out on the win, Ewan returns home with a good feeling.
“My participation at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne was a bit of a last-minute call up, so I wasn’t exactly preparing for this race. But again, I am really happy with where my form is at. Although I suffered as well and the pace was high on the climbs, I always felt pretty comfortable. So I can’t be disappointed with this second place. Now I’m heading to Tirreno-Adriatico to do the ultimate preparations for my first big goal of the season, Milano-Sanremo”, concludes Caleb Ewan.
Also sports director Nikolas Maes looks back on the Opening Weekend with a satisfied feeling.
“In general we can speak about a successful Opening Weekend. Maybe beforehand we wouldn’t have been satisfied with a fifth and second place, something we would have been last year. So this shows the positive evolution going on in the team. We need to stay ambitious and we are on the good way. Of course there’s always room for improvement but the guys did a good job and the team showed itself. Tuesday, there’s the GP Samyn, where we will be at the start with ambition and target a top result”, concludes DS Maes.
Images: Photo News.
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