Our sprinter couldn’t contest the bunch sprint after crashing in the final kilometers of Heistse Pijl.
The team’s first outing of the month came on home turf, at a race we knew well, having won it several times. Heistse Pijl, whose parcours was mostly flat, had bunch sprint written all over it, and for that reason, no breakaway went in the first 90 kilometers.
Two riders eventually attacked and formed a leading group after more than four hours and managed to stay at the front until the closing kilometers, when the sprinters’ teams overhauled them with ease. Having worked throughout the day, Soudal Quick-Step was determined to put Alberto Dainese in a good position for the sprint, but unfortunately a crash that occurred with six kilometers to go took the Italian out of contention.
The victory went to Noah Hobbs (EF Educations-EasyPost), while the young Mathijs Van Strijthem concluded as our team’s top finisher in Heist-op-den-Berg. Following the crash, Dainese was left with some road rash and bruises, but he should be at the start of the Brussels Cycling Classic on Sunday.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
