"I feel at home here" - After three podiums, Benoît Cosnefroy finally hits the jackpot at Brabantse Pijl

Every year since 2020 Benoît Cosnefroy has raced Brabantse Pijl and in four editions he finished on the podium on three occasions. He hadn't reached the victory however, but that finally came today as he beat a strong field with an explosive victory.

“I am very happy to win this competition. Although the last lap was very difficult for me, because then I jumped to the first group," Cosnefroy said in a post-race interview. The Frenchman was a favourite for the day but didn't follow the dangerous attack of Tim Wellens, Dylan Teuns and Marijn van den Berg. He had to rely on a lot of work in the peloton to keep the gap small, and he bridged across in the penultimate climb of the day with a very explosive acceleration from the peloton.

He waited for his chances in the sprint, to try and finally win after three podiums in the Belgian classic. It would turn out to be his day in Overijse. “I had to deal with Teuns alone. In the sprint it went perfectly, because Dylan opened the gap on the side and that was perfect for me," he explained. It was a dominant sprint win, as he had the best acceleration out of everyone in the group - Marijn van den Berg was dropped as he attacked early, whilst Quinten Hermans seemed to struggle with cramps.

“It is better to start the Ardennes campaign with a victory. That's why I'm very happy for the team and for myself," he added. "I feel at home here, you can see that in my results (in this race, ed.). I felt I had good legs, but this race is difficult to read, but after crossing I felt confident.” Next up are the three Ardennes classics and firstly, Amstel Gold Race where he stands his best shot.