Dries Devenyns (IAM) put himself in the perfect position to go for the overall win at the Baloise Belgium Tour by claiming an impressive stage win in stage 2 which was like a small version of the Tour of Flanders. Having made it into a 9-rider group, he attacked inside the final kilometre and sprinted past lone leader Stijn Vandenbergh (Etixx-QuickStep) to take the victory and move into the race lead with a 4-second advantage over his teammate Reto Hollenstein. Baptiste Planckaert (Wallonie) won the sprint for second.

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Dries Devenyns hopes to secure another WorldTour contract with overall win in Belgium

As a member of a break along with Reto Hollenstein and seven other riders with about twenty kilometers to the finish, Dries Devenyns won a tough stage on Thursday. 

 

“I knew I had to ride intelligently throughout the stage,” Devenyns exclaimed.  “I did try several times to extricate myself from the group, but I was far from having won the race.  Fortunately, the cobbled areas did not mess up my day.  I managed to follow the best over those sections, and then the victory was decided in a sprint.  For this type of finish, you always have to rely on the luck factor.  Somehow, Thursday, luck was on my side.  Now we will focus on the general classification.  Our goal will be to keep the jersey until the finish.  We have brought a strong IAM Cycling team to this Tour of Belgium; we are much stronger than you might think.

 

"I saw Marcel Sieberg and Tiesj Benoot attack and tried to follow on the Berendries. In the finale, I saw Vandenbergh riding away in a turn. In the last gentle curve, I tried to jump and go full gas Those early attacks was the ideal situation for me, because Baptiste Planckaert was the fastest . But he was too late.

 

"The team of Wout Van Aert tried to control the race and that destroyed thm completely. In the second passage on the Paddestraat, the race was wide open and then we got to sit in front with nine riders. It turned out to be the right break.

 

"It was very hard. I had been on the attack with Martin, Vermote, Van Poppel and Wallays, but it turned out to be the wrong move. I got dropped deliberately.

 

"I had the impression that Vandenbergh is fit, yes. But Benoot remains my biggest rival. Whether my lead is big enough? Five minutes would have been splendid. Twenty to thirty seconds disappear quickly in the stage to Verviers. But the chances of final victory are obviously very realistic. in addition, we have one of the strongest teams in this race.

 

"I know absolutely nothing about Saturday's stage. I have to check the road book tonight. But obviously I know climbs like La Redoute.

 

"Rio is a dream, of course. The coach will decided but I think I can be there. It is a course that should suit me.
 

"The team folds which is very unfortunate. But it is not really extra motivation. I assumed that I would sign a new contract this summer so and that my future was at IAM. This victory is an extra mark behind my name for interested teams. I'm worried. Teams are in search of a winner. And ultimately, I'm not one.”

 

“This is a very important victory. My team folds at the end of the season. Just after we got the sad news we did win a stage in the Giro and today I got a stage victory and the leader's jersey. And in the prologue, we came up with good results. It is a nice gesture to the team management. Maybe it's selfish but this victory might open some doors for a contract with a new team.

 

"I hope I will still be part of the WorldTour next season. That is certainly the intention but I know that I do not win often. 

 

“As for the final victory, tomorrow will be a very busy day. I expect many attacks on my red jersey. However, I can fall back on a very strong team which is much more impressive than many think. My gap over the rest of the top ten is not large. But I estimate my chances of overall victory are good. We have to ait and see what will happen tomorrow.”

 

Dries Devenyns and Reto Hollenstein doubled up on the overall classification.  With Devenyns winning, and then Hollenstein finishing in eighth place for the second stage of the Baloise Belgium Tour, the two IAM Cycling strongmen have taken out a nice option on the general classification. 

 

“We have a pretty strong team to control the race tomorrow,” Eddy Seigneur confirmed.  “This leader’s jersey we will take and defend.  With Dries Devenyns, Reto Hollenstein and Oliver Naesen, we have the riders to respond to attacks.”

 

“The team did a remarkable race,” the directeur sportif emphasized.  “Clément Chevrier crept into the break even though this is not really the sort of parcours he favors.  And then Vicente Reynes took over matters when there was a counter attack with 30 kilometers to go. Finally, in the end, Reto and Dries were able to follow the favorites.

 

”Having this victory, and then taking the two top places on the overall classification highlights the great collaborative work by the team.  It is during times of adversity that we see how big a team is.  Michel Thétaz’s announcement about stopping the team at the end of the season has obviously affected all the riders and staff.  But we are fighters.  The IAM Cycling team is beautiful, and has the heart to show it.”

 

This is the seventh victory for IAM Cycling this season, and the second for Dries Deveyns, who also won the Grand Prix La Marseillaise.  The Swiss team has collected 26 podium finishes in total thus far for 2016.

 

Aleksejs Saramotins who is recovering from an upper respiratory infection, dropped out of the race on Friday lacking the required form to compete effectively. By mutual agreement, the sports management and the team doctors have decided to give him the chance to recover properly in view of his future racing goals.

 

Frustraing near-miss for strong Baptiste Planckaert on Belgian cobbles

Baptiste Planckaert said:  

 

"I was a bit far back at the last passage of Berendries and a breakaway got away. I knew that they were the best riders. My group was not riding very fast and so I made ​​the effort alone. Once the connection was made ​​before the Paddestraat I didn’t want to work with a very strong guy like Vandenbergh. He attacked with Devenyns for the sprint. Nobody wanted to close the gap and I decided to take the risk. I started with 250 meters to go. I could catch Vandenbergh but Devenyns was too far away. 

 

“There are two stages left, the hardest this Saturday in Verviers, in the Ardennes. If the race is controlled, I think I can play my card. If not, it may be hard. But if I can get through Saturday, I have good chances to keep the blue jersey of the points classification.”

 

Brutally strong Stijn Vandenbergh agonizingly close to victory in Belgium

In the final 20 kilometers, a strong group of p riders took the peloton by surprise and quickly built a gap of 30 seconds. Among those men was also Stijn Vandenbergh, who got in the mix at the intermediate sprints, before surging clear on the flat together with Dries Devenyns (IAM Cycling). Their move sparked a furious response of the chasing group and the duo was caught with around eight kilometers to go. With the peloton 50 seconds behind, it became clear that the stage winner was at the front, and Vandenbergh launched another attack which only the same Devenyns could follow.

 

The Belgian powerhouse of Etixx – Quick-Step left everything on the road, and at the end the effort netted him a third place on the stage, behind his breakaway companion and Baptiste Planckaert (Wallonie-Bruxelles). In the rankings, Vandenbergh – winner of a Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana stage earlier this year – is on the last step of the podium, just seven seconds behind Devenyns, the new leader of the Belgium Tour.

 

"I had a good feeling today, so I said to myself that I have to try something. When Tiesj Benoot accelerated, I followed him and made sure of saving some energy for the last part. Then, when I launched my first attack, only Dries followed me, but unfortunately he didn't work with me so we were caught soon. Afterwards, I waited for a good moment and went one more time with one kilometer to go, but got caught again, so that was that. I'm happy with my result, but also a little bit disappointed, as I really wanted to win today to go", said Stijn Vandenbergh after one of his strongest days of the year on the bike.

 

Mechanical takes Tony Martin out of GC contention at the Belgium Tour

Having two riders on the general classification podium, Etixx – Quick-Step was keen to make the race hard and get a grip on the overall before the week-end, but unfortunately it was hit by bad luck, as Iljo Keisse crashed, while both Niki Terpstra and Tony Martin had a mechanical because of which they were forced to leave their ambitions aside. If the Dutch champion was delayed by this incident which occurred just before Leberg, Martin – who was third in the GC and was already part of a move that tried to put pressure on the bunch – needed a bike change after his chain got stucked between the gears before Paddestraat.

 

With his GC hopes gone up in smoke, Tony Martin vowed to ride in support of his teammate in the two stages left until the end of the 86th edition: "

 

I couldn't shift anymore right before the Paddestraat and had to change the bike. I was very unlucky, and after that moment and my time in the break, I started to suffer and things became really difficult. For me, the overall is now history, but we still have Stijn in the top 3 and we are ready to fight hard."

Strong Tiesj Benoot shows his class on Belgian cobbles

Tiesj Benoot obtained the fourth place which makes him move up several places in the general classification. He is now seventh at 23 seconds behind the new leader, Devenyns.

 

He said: 

 

“I can say that today was very positive for me. The strong riders made the race. On the Berendries, I tried to attack with the aim to move up in the classification and I succeeded. Off course, I also noticed that Dries Devenyns and Enrico Gasparotto are very strong. They specifically trained for this Baloise Belgium Tour and the route for tomorrow is also right up their alley. But I will do my utmost.”

 

Sergei Chernetskii surprises Katusha in unfavourable terrain on the cobbles

Stage 2 of the Baloise Tour of Belgium was not immediately a stage were the Team KATUSHA riders were expected but the climbers team performed well in the cobblestones stage from Knokke-Heist to Herzele. Simon Špilak went in the break. Sergei Chernetckii did as well and finished 6th.

 

Sergei Chernetckii is 4th in GC, 16 seconds behind.

 

“As we are here without our Flanders specialists, we decided to anticipate. First a group, including Simon Špilak, went away. The peloton chased them down but after the hills zone Chernetckii followed the moves when some riders attacked in the local lap. 9 riders went away and they got 40 seconds on the cobblestones sections. It was a good move as Sergei has now some perspectives for the queens stage of tomorrow,” said Team Director José Azevedo.

 

Frustration for Edward Theuns on Belgian cobbles

Edward Theuns was the best of the bunch for 10th place in stage two at the Baloise Belgium Tour after a nine-man breakaway contested the top places. Although Theuns retained the blue points jersey, easily taking the sprint from the peloton, earlier he was unable to continue with the key escape group that had formed and reshaped on the Berendries climb with 22 kilometers to go. It was the move that stuck.

 

"Edward was there in the breakaway, but then he had a bad moment on the Berendries. From the group he was with, only 3-4 were left and 5-6 came from behind and he could not hold on there and dropped back to the peloton. Those nine stayed away," explained director Dirk Demol.

 

Jasper Stuyven was a non-starter for Trek-Segafredo leaving the team a skeleton crew of five riders, but they came out ready to battle in the 200-kilometer stage. Boy Van Poppel joined the first dangerous move when the race entered the last decisive 50-kilometers, only to see its 40-second advantage dowsed, but a feisty Edward joined another escape group over the Leberg.

 

Demol said: "Jasper did not take the start so we were down to five riders. The fatigue of California and the long travel to arrive here was too much, and he is on the list for the Tour de France, so we need to take care he is recovered and ready for that. He was tired after the race yesterday; he didn't feel good at all, so we sent him home.

 

"When Boy was in the 10 rider move with Tony Martin and they had 40 seconds, at that point I thought they were gone. But that came back and then Edward was in the next move.”

 

The peloton was hot on the heels of Theuns' breakaway group as they all charged up the Berendries climb. Over the top nine leaders emerged and Theuns, whose legs said no right at the decisive point in the race, was unable to stay with the leaders.

 

"The peloton split in two and we only had Boy and Greggy (Rast) with Edward, so it was impossible for us to bring it back, or do something," Demol continued. "There was never really an organized chase so the nine stayed away and Edward sprinted for the 10th place.

 

"We did our best today; there's not much more to say. Tomorrow we have the queen stage, and we are not in the GC, so we shall see what tomorrow brings and then Sunday there's another chance for a field sprint and we will help Edward again."

 

Difficult day for Giant-Alpecin on Belgian cobbles

Giant-Alpecin had Zico Waeytens in 16th and Simon Geschke in 40th.

 

Coach Arthur van Dongen said: “It was a hard stage today and we were never able to have some riders in the key breakaways. The roads were really twisiting and turning all day and it was pretty tough on the cobblestone sections so it wasn’t easy for anyone out there. Tomorrow is another stage and we will hope to have a better performance.”

 

Zico Waeytens added: “It wasn’t my best day and in the finale I decide to wait for the sprint. However we weren’t able to catch up with the nine-rider breakaway in time before the finish.”

 

Tom-Jelte Slagter makes tactical mistake at Belgium Tour

Cannondale missed out on the decisive move and Tom-Jelte Slagter and Dylan van Baarle failed to bridge the gap when they made a late attack.

 

“Hard day at the office @belgium_tour Legs are ok, tactically not my best day... Tomorrow real climbs,” Slagter tweeted.

 

Bad day for Bora-Argon 18 on Belgian cobbles

Also today was not one of the best days for BORA – ARGON 18. After the heavy crash from Sam Bennett yesterday, Shane Archbold hit the ground hard. Both riders are still in the race and will be able to take on the stage tomorrow. Jan Bárta and Silvo Herklotz, the two riders for the GC in Belgium, were not able to challenge the 9 riders at the front of the race.

 

“I think today we saw a little pre-decision. Gasparotto, Devenyns and Hollenstein will be hard to overtake now. Tomorrow is a really hard stage and we will need to take some risk regarding the tactics to still achieve our goal in the GC. But I think the longer climbs tomorrow should suit Jan and Silvio better,” said Enrico Poitschke, sports director.

 

Cramps take Daniel McLay out of contention at the Belgium Tour

For Fortuneo-Vital Concept, Vegard Breen suffered a crash and Daniel McLay suffered cramps in the final

 

”Sorry to the guys riding for me today. Was feeling good but was hit by sudden whole leg cramps and had to let go,” McLay tweeted.

 

Wout Van Aert: I hate to have lost the leader’s jersey

"I'm very disappointed that I could not finish off the diligent work of my teammates. They have controlled the whole race. I am particularly angry at myself because I lost the red jersey,” Wout Van Aert said.

 

"I had to deal with cramps on the Berendries and it was over. Was the damage still somewhat limited at the end? I am now 39 seconds behind leader Devenyns. Tomorrow? If I cannot follow Tiesj Benoot on the Berendries what can I do in the Ardennes? I don’t expect much. I also have to deal with allergies but I want not to hide behind it. I hate to have lost the leader's jersey.”