The Belgian was one of the most active riders in Wednesday's race, at the end of which he notched up his best result of the year.
Coming off a strong Vuelta al Pais Vasco, Pieter Serry was a main protagonist at the 58th edition of Brabantse Pijl, which took place between Leuven and Overijse over a 201.9km-long course packed with 27 short but punchy climbs. The Quick-Step Floors rider did a very strong and impressive race, responding to several attacks launched inside the final 40 kilometers and tracking down the moves of his opponents, before booking a place in an elite group which went clear on the last lap.
Pieter didn't spare any effort in that group, taking the front and putting in some amazing pulls to ensure a significant gap on a single file peloton which was chasing them going into the last two climbs of the day, Ijskerderlaan and Schavei. When Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal) attacked, Serry was the one to do most of the work behind, but a lack of cooperation spelled the end of the road for the six-man group, as the sizeable bunch made the catch with just three kilometers to go.
While Wellens was soloing to victory, other accelerations followed from the peloton on the last hill of the race, and Pieter hit the forefront again, stretching out the field and putting others into the gutter with his sharp accelerations. In a highly-contested sprint for the podium, the 29-year-old Belgian finished just outside the top three, a more than promising result ahead of the upcoming Ardennes week.
"Fourth today is a good result, but I'm a bit disappointed for not finishing on the podium. My legs were very strong and on the last two laps I attacked a lot, as I felt I could make the difference. When Wellens took off, I worked really hard behind to shut down the gap, but it was difficult to bring him back", said Pieter Serry, who so far this season has amassed four top-10 placings, at Vuelta a Murcia, Drôme Classic, Strade Bianche and Brabantse Pijl. "Today's race makes me even more confident for the Ardennes, where we hope to score some more nice results and continue what's been a brilliant spring for Quick-Step Floors."
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele/ Getty Images
