UCI Road World Champion Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) got the jump on Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo), Luke Rowe (Team Sky), Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal) and Matteo Trentin (Quick-Step Floors) in the finishing straight with less than 300 metres to go toward the end of the 200.7km race held in and around Kuurne, Belgium.
"I wondered if the group would make the catch and we’d have a normal bunch sprint, but after they started attacking on the first lap, after that I was in the front in the breakaway and was really glad the guys in the front were working well. In the end we came to the finish just five guys and it was good," Sagan said.
Beaten at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad by the reigning Olympic champion van Avermaet, Sagan immediately rebounded at Kuurne to record the 90th win of his career and the first since his victory at the world championships in Doha.
“It was a little bit of a slow sprint today," Sagan said. "Trentin attacked early and then I came to get him, then we slowed again at 500m to go and it was a slow sprint. I thought if I started from 250m I could have a good attack from the start.”
Jasper Stuyven, Peter Sagan and Luke Rowe. Source: Getty
