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Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty) snatched the victory in Le Samyn in a photo-finish sprint over Antonio Morgado (UAE Team Emirates) to claim his first professional win.
Jenthe Biermans (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) was a close third in the much-reduced bunch sprint after the peloton fractured due to a crash with 15km to go.
Rex began his victory celebration a fraction too soon and was nearly overtaken by the hard-charging Morgado, but after an examination of the finish line photo, the Belgian was declared the winner.
“I actually cheered a little too early,” Rex said afterward. “But I didn’t see anyone next to me in the sprint, that’s why. I felt very good during the match and had a lot of confidence.
“I’ve taken my first professional victory here. My brother Tim (also Intermarché-Wanty) also participated today. The fact that my little brother is also there today makes it very special.”
The mid-week Le Samyn, 204km from Quaregnon to Dour in Wallonia, gives the peloton a small taste of Paris-Roubaix style cobbles and recent rains made the 16 sectors treacherous.
After 10km, a breakaway established a gap, with Miguel Ángel Fernández (Kern Pharma), Martijn Budding (TDT-Unibet), Enrico Dhaeye (Philippe Wagner/Bazin), Stijn Daemen (VolkerWessels), Kévin Avoine (Van Rysel-Roubaix) making the cut.
Rotem Tene (Israel-Premier Tech), Boris Romers (Metec Solarwatt p/b Mantel), and Guillaume Visser (Diftar) tried to bridge across but didn’t make it. The leaders opened up a maximum gap of around four minutes before the peloton picked up the pace.
When Jelle Johannink (TDT-Unibet) and Tim Marsman (Metec Solarwatt p/b Mantel) tried to bridge across with 83km to go, the gap was down below three minutes. Marsman let go but Johannink continued and made it across with 60km to go just as the peloton brought the leaders into sight.
Attacks from the peloton sent reinforcements across to the breakaway Timothy Dupont (Tarteletto-Isorex) and Ceriel Desal (Bingoal WB). The next section of cobbles, the Rue de Bell Vue was too much for Fernandez and he was dropped.
With two laps to go, Stan van Tricht (Alpecin-Deceuninck) attacked but only served to nail back the rest of the breakaway with 50km to go.
Jonas Rickaert (Alpecin-Deceuninck) attacked soon after and opened up a gap before the Rue du Vert Pignon section. Pavel Bittner (DSM-Firmenich-PostNL) and Thomas Gachignard (TotalEnergies) soon bridged across.
Favourite Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny) ran into trouble with a mechanical and, after a bike change, the Belgian crashed while chasing back and seemed furious with his team. After remonstrating the staff, he got back up and rode to the team bus.
Ahead, Rickaert lost touch with one lap to go, leaving the two riders out front with only 20 seconds on the peloton.
A massive crash disrupted the chase with 15km to go, taking down Michael Vink (UAE Team Emirates), Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5), and several riders from TDT-Unibet and St Michel-Mavic-Auber 93.
With 12km to go, Bittner punctured and Gachignard was caught. A counter-attack from his teammate Jason Tesson and then Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ Continental) proved unsuccessful in breaking up the now much-reduced peloton.
Sajnok Szymon (Q36.5) put in a move with 5km to go but was quickly neutralised as the sprinters looked to flex their muscles. Arkéa-B&B Hotels led into the final kilometre but were overtaken by DSM-Firmenich-PostNL.
In the sprint to the line, Rex narrowly edged out UAE Team Emirates’ young Portuguese rider Morgado to take his team’s fourth victory of the 2024 season.
Results
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