4 Jours de Dunkerque / Grand Prix des Hauts de France

Warre Vangheluwe became the latest Soudal Quick-Step rider to add a victory to his name, after one of the most nail-biting finishes of the season, which saw the young Belgian hold off the peloton by the slimmest of margins on the toughest day of the race so far.

Running from Mazingarbe to Pont-à-Marcq, Friday’s stage contained a total of 14 cobblestone sectors, all of them coming in the final 100 kilometers. The race got off to a nervous start, marred by two crashes and numerous breakaway attempts, but it took more than an hour for a group to finally snap the elastic. When this happened, Warre was there for Soudal Quick-Step, together with five other men, with whom he built a maximum gap of three minutes.

On paper, they were an easy target for the bunch, who was aiming for a fourth consecutive mass gallop, but the sextet worked well together and with each kilometer ticked off, they began believing more and more in their chances. Ten kilometers from the finish, with all the pavé stretches left behind, the breakaway had only four men left and 25 seconds, which didn’t stop them from pulling hard without thinking of any cat-and-mouse games.

It was only in the closing three kilometers of the race that the escapees began attacking one another, and Vangheluwe kept his powder dry for the last 700 meters of the race, where he accelerated, caught and passed lone leader Alexis Gougeard (Cofidis), putting in a gargantuan effort with the peloton breathing down his neck to claim an incredible and unlikely victory.

“We went on the attack quite early in the stage, and despite not having a huge margin at any point, we traded turns at the front and did our best there. When the attacks began coming, I went after Gougeard and stayed with him for a couple of seconds before dropping him and continuing alone.”

“I was confident I would take the win, but I was a bit nervous after the finish, as Sam Bennett came strong from behind and for a second there, I wasn’t so sure anymore. To win this cobblestone stage, which was on my radar since before the start of the race, and take my first pro victory feels truly incredible. I want to thank the team for their trust in me. I can’t tell you how happy and proud I am now”, said a delighted and emotional Warre – who came through the ranks after a successful spell with the Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team – after delivering the squad’s 16th victory of the season.

Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images