"I celebrated a little too early" - Laurenz Rex survives nervy wait for photo finish with narrow Le Samyn victory intact

For the first time in his career, Intermarché - Wanty's Laurenz Rex was able to celebrate victory at Le Samyn 2024 on Tuesday afternoon.

Due to his somewhat premature celebration however, the Belgian was almost made to pay the heaviest price by Antonio Morgado. "Actually, I celebrated a little too early. But I didn't see anyone next to me, so that's why," he says with a hint of relief in his post-race interview, after the photo finish showed he had just about done enough to hold on.

"I felt very good during the race and also had a lot of confidence, also from the team, who saw me as the leader," Rex continues. "Vito Braet launched me at the right time, but I knew I shouldn't go too early. The team worked hard all day anyway. My brother, (Tim Rex, ed.) also participated, so that was nice. I'm taking my first professional victory here and it will be very special if my little brother is there too."

After a sixth placed finish at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad last weekend, Rex has started the season excellently. "Luckily we did well as a team and managed to stay calm all day," he concludes. "I really wanted to be good here, because Le Samyn has been on my wish list for a long time."