"I had to wait a while for it this year" - Alexander Kristoff finally gets to raise hands in Uno-X Mobility colours

Alexander Kristoff has taken his first victory of 2024. The Norwegian from Uno-X Mobility raced to victory in the Elfstedenronde Brugge. That is a huge relief for the experienced Norwegian who had to wait a bit to raise hands in new colours, he admitted in the flash interview afterwards.

"I had to wait a while for it this year," Kristoff began. "I would have liked to win a little earlier, but now I have finally won. Winning in Belgium is also nice, because it is a beautiful country to race in."

The 36-year-old riders also spoke highly of his team. "It was a good lead-out. We controlled whole day. I am grateful to the guys, without them I would not have won. It was great teamwork."

In the run-up to the sprint there was another major crash involving favorite Gerben Thijssen. Kristoff didn't notice much of that. "I was in front of it. But it was a big fight in the final. There have been a few near falls, so I wasn't surprised when I heard there had been falls."