A frantic race, marked by a plethora of attacks, unfolded on Tuesday afternoon.
The 20th edition of Gullegem Koerse – consisting of 18 laps of a 9.5km-long circuit – took place this week, when several World Tour and Pro Continental teams lined out for what's one of the most important kermesse in Belgium, the heartland of cycling.
It came as no surprise that the race got off to a fast and furious start, with a group getting clear only after 20 kilometers. Defending champion Yves Lampaert and teammate Tim Declercq, third at the past edition, got infiltrated in the move which gained a handful of seconds on the peloton, who put in a strong chase and absorbed them with six laps remaining.
The pace continued to be relentless, but despite this, a combined move of ten men pulled away and was soon followed by another strong group, of 11 riders, who made the junction inside the last 50 kilometers, slowly but steadily building a significant gap on the bunch, who couldn't find a way to claw them back.
From that group, a couple of riders took off before the final lap, on which Jurgen Roelandts (BMC) jumped clear inside the last five kilometers, taking the win ahead of teammate Greg Van Avermaet and Oliver Naesen (AG2R). Quick-Step Floors placed two men in the top 10 of the 171km-long race, Tim Declercq (6th) and neo-pro Kasper Asgreen (7th) who both raced here after taking part last week in the Hammer Stavanger event.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen/ Getty Images
