The 24-year-old Italian was our squad's top finisher at the 1.1 race in Leuven.
An action-packed edition of the Grand Prijs Jef Scherens unfolded in spectacular fashion on Sunday, with six riders snapping the elastic right from the start and opening a four-minute advantage on the bunch. 30 kilometers into the race, they got caught by a strong chasing group, before another group, which contained also Quick-Step Floors' Laurens De Plus, bridged across and helped them keep a steady gap.
After a series of skirmishes, only 12 riders were left in the lead on the penultimate of the day's 13 laps, but they were soon reeled in. Things didn't calm down, despite the finish line getting closer, with an elite group getting clear ten kilometers from the line. Julien Vermote was part of that move, which despite including several other big names, couldn't fend off the pack.
In the end, the Belgian one-day race concluded in a bunch gallop, won by Timothy Dupont (Verandas Willems-Crelan) ahead of Kenny Dehaes (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and Justin Jules (WB Veranclassic Aqua Protect). Davide Martinelli sprinted for Quick-Step Floors and notched up a solid tenth place. Sunday's result was the young Italian's second top-10 finish of the season, after the one in Handzame Classic, another important fixture of the Belgian calendar.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele
