Israel – Premier Tech produced another strong team performance at De Brabantse Pijl on Wednesday, one that was capped off with Dylan Teuns finishing second and Joe Blackmore placing fourth.
Corbin Strong also enjoyed a strong day as he came home 10th, while Stevie Williams showed his form with a blistering attack that contributed to a lively closing 40 kilometers of racing in Belgium.
Undeterred by missing out on the podium at the Ronde van Vlaanderen last month following an equally combative display, Teuns lit the race up when he broke out of the peloton with 30 kilometers remaining. Initially, he was only followed by two riders, before more managed to bridge across following the Moskesstraat climb later on in the race.
One of those counterattackers – Benoît Cosnefroy (DAT) – ultimately took the victory, but it wasn’t for the want of trying. Having also made it across to the front group, recent Circuit des Ardennes winner Joe Blackmore worked tirelessly for his teammate, most notably on the S-Bocht Overijse climb up to the finish line.
“Today Joe did an amazing job in the last 1.5 kilometers to put the pressure on, it was perfect,” said Teuns. “A fatigued sprint is better for me – to go from far out was also a decision I could make because he made the guys tired in front.”
“I got beaten on my strength, I think, as Benoît was obviously faster today. The only sad thing for me is that he and Quinten [Hermans, Alpecin – Deceuninck] were not part of the trio who went with two laps to go. If they were in our move the race was over for the chasers. They came a little fresher to our group, as we spent a lot of energy, but that’s racing.
“It was a perfect situation for me to have Joe there. He put everybody on the limit. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish it off but I’m really happy with second place. The shape is good, I can be confident towards the next races.”
