It was a heated battle for positioning leading into the final corners to the short, cobbled uphill in the finale of the 198-kilometer semi-Classic Nokere Koerse in Belgium.

As Etixx-Quick Step and Lotto Soudal led the peloton in a blistering pace into the final kilometer, Gert Steegmans appeared at the last moment with uncanny timing to drop Danny van Poppel into prime real estate with some 300 meters to go.

The teamwork was flawless. The positioning was immaculate.  The sprint, however, was not. 

Kris Boeckmans (Lotto Soudal) jumped first and despite his early launch he powered to the victory atop the cobbled Nokeredorpstraat.  Danny van Poppel’s late move on the cobbles was a costly error and he was unable to close the gap, settling for a substandard 6th place.

“It was not a really hard race, even with all the wind and cold,” he explained, the disappointment clear in his voice. “But there were a lot of smaller teams here, and so there were a lot of attacks and not a lot of control.

“In the finale the team did a great job - we had a good team here for the sprint - but in the end it was really hectic. I had Boy [van Poppel] and Gert [Steegmans] in the last kilometer and Gert dropped me in perfect position.

“But I think I did a mistake, I waited too late to start my sprint because on the cobblestones you cannot gain speed. If I could go back and do it over again, I would immediately start my sprint. By waiting too long, I could not make up speed for the final 200 meters. I was sixth, not at all what I was hoping for. My level is good, and that at least is a good thing.”

Trek Factory Racing assisted Lotto Soudal in bringing everything back to conformity, another strong performance of solidarity by the pinstriped team.

A five-man breakaway played out the action for most of the day, but with 50 kilometers remaining they were reeled back. With plenty of race left a series of attacks began with constant small breakaways forming until all was hunted down at the start of the final lap with 14 kilometers to go.

Trek Factory Racing assisted Lotto Soudal in bringing everything back to conformity, another strong performance of solidarity by the pinstriped team. Unfortunately, the end result did not fully repay their philanthropic effort, as is so often the way of professional cycling - but it's also what makes it such a unique and compelling sport.

It was Jasper Stuyven’s first race back since his nasty arm injury sustained from crashing on the white gravel roads in Strade Bianche, and he explained how it felt to be back in combat:

“Today was a hard day for me, and on the cobblestones it was difficult to use my arm to pull, but besides that there was no pain,” he said. “For me it was just about suffering to get back into competition and get the heart rate high again.  I think I will be good after suffering for the first few days in Catalunya.”

Trek Factory Racing is next back to action tomorrow in GP Nobili, and then will lineup Sunday for the first Monument of 2015, Milan-Sanremo.