Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-QuickStep) secured overall victory at the Baloise Tour of Belgium, despite going down in a late crash as the sprinters fought for the stage victory.
Bryan Coquard (Vital Concept) won the sprint by taking a wide line as other sprinters clashed with each other.
Evenepoel rode the finish alone, with a hole in his shorts but a smile on his face, knowing he was to be crowned the overall winner. The 19-year-old revelation won stage 2 and then defended his lead in the final stages with strong support from Deceuninck-QuickStep.
Victor Campenaerts (Lotto Soudal) finished second overall at 52 seconds, with his teammate Tim Wellens third overall at 2:02 but Deceuninck-QuickStep won again, taking their 37th victory of the season.
“I’m obviously delighted to win. It’s an amazing feeling, it hasn’t sunk in yet,” Evenepoel said.
It was a little bit difficult with what happened in the final sprint. But that’s okay; it’s a huge relief to get over the finish and win, without any of teammates being harmed.
“I’m going to be the youngest winner of the Tour and that’s a great achievement, I’m thrilled. The team again did well to make sure nobody got away again on the final flat stage. I have to thank them for the work they did.
Brief Results
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bryan Coquard (Fra) Vital Concept-B&B Hotel | 3:17:15 |
| 2 | Pierre Barbier (Fra) Natura4Ever - Roubaix Lille Métropole | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
| 3 | Emīls Liepins (Lat) Wallonie-Bruxelles | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
| 4 | Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Israel Cycling Academy | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
| 5 | Toon Aerts (Bel) Telenet Fidea Lions | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
| 6 | Jonas Rickaert (Bel) Corendon-Circus | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
| 7 | Gijs Van Hoecke (Bel) CCC Team | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
| 8 | Corné Van Kessel (Ned) Telenet Fidea Lions | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
| 9 | Davide Martinelli (Ita) Deceuninck-QuickStep | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
| 10 | Kevin Van Melsen (Bel) Wanty-Gobert | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Deceuninck-QuickStep | 15:49:17 |
| 2 | Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Lotto Soudal | 0:00:52 |
| 3 | Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Soudal | 0:02:22 |
| 4 | Toon Aerts (Bel) Telenet Fidea Lions | 0:02:28 |
| 5 | Andreas Lorentz Kron (Den) Riwal Readynez Cycling Team | 0:02:29 |
| 6 | Jasper Philipsen (Bel) UAE Team Emirates | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
| 7 | Bryan Coquard (Fra) Vital Concept-B&B Hotel | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
| 8 | Loïc Vliegen (Bel) Wanty-Gobert | 0:02:38 |
| 9 | Aimé De Gendt (Bel) Wanty - Gobert Cycling Team | 0:02:29 |
| 10 | Pieter Weening (Ned) Roompot-Charles | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
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