Senne Hulsmans takes the glory on the final day of the West Bohemia Tour.
Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team had a great time in the Czech Republic, winning half of this week’s race with two different riders. After Lars Vanden Heede prevailed on the second stage thanks to a mammoth solo effort, Senne Hulsmans powered to his first victory of the season just twenty-four hours later.
The Belgian, runner-up last month at the U23 National Championships, was the fastest man from the peloton at the end of a stage that saw his teammate Jonathan Vervenne attack and stay in the lead until the final kilometers, when the chasers overhauled him. It was the cue for the rest of the Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team to move to the front of the bunch and provide an excellent lead-out to Hulsmans, who showed his speed and won in Plzen by a couple of bike lengths.
“I felt good the entire day and had the confidence of the team, who did a great job for me. They kept me in the front and combined for a superb lead-out in the last kilometer. I knew I was the strongest in the sprint, so to be able to finish it off like this is fantastic. This has been a great race for us and we can be proud of what we achieved here this week”, an elated Senne said after the West Bohemia Tour, which Italian teammate Federico Savino concluded in a strong third overall.
Photo credit: ©Wout Beel
Senne Hulsmans 