A crazy and full gas race unfolded Saturday afternoon, when five-man teams contested the second event of the competition.
For the second day running, the Hammer Series competitors rode like juniors, their approach making for another spectacular and aggressive race. Attacks were launched from the first meters of the 99km sprint race, and Yves Lampaert was one of the riders on the move, the Dwars door Vlaanderen winner managing to grab important points on the first two laps.
Another Quick-Step Floors rider, Fernando Gaviria, was expected to be among the protagonists on this flat course which suited him to the ground, but the 22-year-old Colombian was caught up behind a crash which took several riders out of the race, and couldn't make his way back to the peloton who was riding at a 55km/h average speed.
It was only normal for the pack to splinter at some point, and when it happened, 12 riders put some daylight between them and the chasers. Neo-pros Rémi Cavagna and Maximilian Schachmann were there for our team and got in the mix at the sprints against the fast men of the bunch, managing to add more points to Quick-Step Floors' tally.
The race concluded with the victory of Trek-Segafredo over Lotto-Soudal, while Quick-Step Floors racked up a second consecutive top 10 finish, following the one in Friday's Climb race. The Hammer Series will come to an end on Sunday, when the overall winner will emerge after a 44.7km-long team time trial held over a rolling terrain.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele
