The 23-year-old Italian was part of a day-long escape, which gave the slip to the bunch.
Etixx – Quick-Step was very active from the first kilometers of the Grand Prix Briek Schotte, sending two riders in the large breakaway which took off once the flag was dropped: Guillaume Van Keirsbulck and Tour de Pologne stage winner Davide Martinelli. Both did long pulls at the front and helped the group open an advantage which proved to be insurmountable for the peloton until the end of the 155-km long race.
In the final kilometers, Brian Van Goethem (Roompot Oranje) accelerated from the escape and claimed a solo victory by a handful of seconds ahead of Jasper De Buyst (Lotto-Soudal) and Sep Vanmarcke (LottoNL-Jumbo). Davide Martinelli, who rode his 14th one-day race of the season, concluded Desselgem Koerse in fourth place; from here, the Italian will go to the Grand Prix de Wallonie, a race which Etixx – Quick-Step has won twice in the past.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele
