The young Slovak produced another solid display to take a top ten at the Antwerp Port Epic.
The ninth edition of the Belgian one-day race was one of attrition, but this didn’t come as a surprise given the combination of cobblestones and gravel sectors that came thick and fast in the last 125 kilometers and the high temperatures that exceeded 30 degrees Celsius.
Only two riders went clear but the peloton, led by Soudal Quick-Step, made sure of reeling them in with more than 50 kilometers to go. After several skirmishes over the next dirt roads segments, a nine-man group formed, and our team was represented there by Martin Svrcek. The dust and chaos made for a frantic race from that moment on, as the peloton pulled hard to reduce the gap, while those at the front kept working together to increase their margin to almost 50 seconds.
Svrcek did an excellent job, countering several attacks and always being in the right place as some of the riders in the lead tried to make a difference. One of the strongest riders out there, the 23-year-old attacked twice but the others reacted, and the race was decided only inside 500 meters to go, when Per Strand Hagenes (Visma-Lease a Bike) opened a gap and took the win. Martin took seventh, while Tim Merlier won the peloton’s sprint a couple of seconds later and finished tenth.
“I was unsure how it would feel today after suffering from the heat in GP Criquielion. As the race progressed, I felt better and better, and was almost always at the front. Then the attacks came and a group rode clear. In the end, I felt good and tried something, but they were all watching me. When Hagenes attacked I tried to jump on his wheel but didn’t just have the legs to follow. Nevertheless, I’m content with my display and with being in the top ten after a hard day”, Martin said.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
