Soudal Quick-Step’s 23-year-old came close to cracking the top ten.
Belgium’s oldest race, Brussels Cycling Classic, ran its 103rd edition this year, over a demanding 207.1km course comprising two circuits that featured the Muur-Kapelmuur, Bosberg and Congoberg. Our team was one of the many trying to keep things together there for a bunch sprint at the finish, but on the second lap things exploded and the peloton got split into several groups.
Stan Van Tricht found himself at the front, together with 18 other men, who managed to extend their initial gap of twenty seconds to more than a minute, remaining well-placed and attentive at all times. Despite some fierce chasing behind and some skirmishes between the members of the leading group in the closing kilometers, the latter held off the bunch in Brussels.
The victory went to Arnaud Demare (Groupama-FDJ), while Stan – despite being boxed in with 200 meters to go – still produced a good turn of speed and finished just outside the top ten, in 11th place.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
