"I had exceptional legs today, so I'm very happy with the result," he says, having returned to the Top10 of a monument 4 years after. With Alberto Bettiol and Dylan Teuns caught in the final sprint, the Belgian was in the fight for the podium. "I gave a lot to try and get out of the chasing group, but I obviously paid for it a bit at the finish with cramps in the final sprint, so that's the small disappointment of the day."
However this is a a great result for the
Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team rider, who is still having Paris-Roubaix next week as a race where he can fight for the podium once again; where he hasn't actually finished in the Top10. "Throughout the race, I told myself that between two and five would be my place, and at the finish it was seven... Not far off!"
