Tenth victory of the year for Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team.
Stan Van Tricht took his first win of the season at the 164km GP Vermarc, making it the third time in the last four years that a Wolfpack rider triumphed at the race held in Rotselaar, after Florian Sénéchal (2020) and Alvaro Hodeg (2021).
The 23-year-old Belgian pinned on a number Sunday afternoon as part of the Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team and was in the thick of the action from the very beginning, when he jumped away from the peloton together with five other riders, one of whom was teammate Siebe Deweirdt. The move was brought back by the bunch after 50 kilometers, but the attacks kept coming, and another group, this time numbering seven riders, took off two hours from the start.
Stan was there again, joined by two teammates, Pepijn Reinderink and William Junior Lecerf, and the three pulled hard to open and maintain a solid lead over the chasers. On the final climb, the Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team boys pushed a big tempo to thin out the group, a move which left only three riders in contention. In the sprint, Stan gave no chance to Pim Ronhaar (Baloise Trek Lions) and Timo Kielich (Alpecin-Deceuninck Development Team), taking by a clear margin the squad’s tenth win of the year.
“I’m happy with this victory and with the way we rode as a team today. It was full gas from the start, but we were always present in the right moves with more than one rider and tried to shape the race. Once the decisive group formed, we worked well together and it was nice to have two teammates there. Pepijn and William were of great help, it was thanks to them that the sprint was easier. It feels good to be on the top spot of the podium, it’s a result that gives me a lot of confidence for the second part of the season”, said Stan after his victory.
Photo credit: ©Oliver Dom
