Team News – Luke Rowe 4th in Het Nieuwsblad

Welsh rider Luke Rowe (Team Sky) sprinted to fourth place at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after a hard fought ride in Belgium

Team News – Luke Rowe 4th in Het Nieuwsblad

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Welsh rider Luke Rowe (Team Sky) sprinted to fourth place at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after a hard fought ride in Belgium

The Welshman spent the last 60 kilometres in a five-man breakaway that stayed clear all the way to the finish, but despite his best efforts it was Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) who emerged triumphant by outpacing Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) at the line.

Van Avermaet jumped first to edge out the world champion in Ghent, and right behind Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal) did just enough to deny Rowe a place on the podium.

Luke had gone on the attack with Van Avermaet on the tough Taaienberg climb, with Sagan and Benoot bridging over to form the nucleus of the day’s decisive break. Although members of an early escape initially stuck with that group, only Alexis Gougeard (AG2R La Mondiale) made the final selection.

The peloton struggled to close the gap on the leaders, and it was only in the last 5km that their advantage began to drop below 50 seconds. All the while Rowe helped drive the escapees forward to ensure they evaded their pursuers, but it was Van Avermaet who took the plaudits after a well-timed sprint in a hotly-contested finale.

Immediately after the race, Rowe admitted to having mixed emotions about his performance, and summed up how things had played out on the road. He told TeamSky.com: “I did the best I could to be at the front on the Taaienberg, and after the move had gone it was a matter of us getting our heads down and trying to hold on to the finish. Everyone committed and we managed to do that.”

“I gave it everything I had in the sprint, but on a finish like that it’s the strongest rider on the day who wins. I didn’t make any technical errors, but when I got out of the saddle I just didn’t have any more to give. After a hard race, that’s sometimes the way it goes. You saw the same with Sagan, you’d normally back him to beat Van Avermaet, but that unpredictability is what makes the Classics special.”

“I’m frustrated I missed out on a podium, but happy to have been in the thick of the action against some massive names. It’ll give me plenty of confidence moving forward.”