The American delivered the team’s 17th top-three of the year.
Luke Lamperti impressed Wednesday afternoon at the 79th edition of Nokere Koerse, becoming the first ever US rider to finish in the top three there, an achievement made even more remarkable by the fact it was his maiden outing of the year.
Sporting a special Soudal Quick-Step jersey highlighting Ekopak’s incredible work in reducing and optimising water consumption, Lamperti was attentive the entire race and in a good position thanks to the solid work of his teammates, which allowed him to start the last climb close to the front of the peloton after the late attacks were brought back.
It was all about timing on the uphill finish in Nokere, and the 22-year-old American patiently waited for the last 150 meters to start his sprint and produce a strong effort to take third behind Nils Eekhoof (Team Picnic PostNL), a result that brought him a lot of satisfaction: “I am quite happy, to be honest, because you never know how things go on your first race of the season and how the form is. Today things were hectic, there was a lot of nervousness in the peloton, but the team did a great job and thanks to them I could do my sprint and get this podium. It’s a nice way to start my season and it gives me a lot of confidence.”
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
