"At first I didn't know who had won" - Sam Welsford fastest in Renewi Tour stage 4 finish

Sam Welsford took his first victory in the World Tour after a captivating sprint duel with Olav Kooij and Jasper Philipsen. The narrow local circuit in Peer made for a hectic final, but thanks to good teamwork the Australian managed to sprint to victory.

"At first I didn't know who had won," he said afterwards in the flash interview. "It was pretty close. The final was a bit uphill and we had headwind so it was a long way to the line," said Welsford, who started the sprint early. "I knew I had to go early. Alpecin-Deceuninck was well in front, and I knew that if Philipsen can start his sprint at 200 meters, he cannot be beaten. Everyone had the idea to go early," he explained.

On the local circuit it was hectic because of the course. "It was very narrow, every team knew it was going to be narrow from eight kilometers to go. You could see it getting more nervous then, but my teammates paid close attention for me today. I really have to thank them," said the dsm-firmenich rider.

At 60 kilometers from the finish, the race seemed to be broken open early on by Jasper Philipsen, who surprisingly opted for the attack. "That surprised me. The wind was quite strong and there were some breaks in the peloton. I was surprised that he attacked then. Many teams reacted to him. In the end we had to close the gap because you can't let him go," said Welsford, who recorded his fourth win of the year.