"I rode the race on adrenaline and euphoria" - Tiesj Benoot delighted to secure top-10 at La Fleche Wallonne after sleepless night welcoming baby daughter

In some rather dramatic preparation for La Fleche Wallonne, Tiesj Benoot and his partner Fien welcomed their second daughter to the family. Despite the lack of sleep, the Belgian thrived in the bitterly cold conditions to secure a top-10 finish.

"Together with my family, I decided to start here. I am also glad I was there. La Flèche Wallonne was a goal of mine. I rode the race on adrenaline and euphoria," Benoot said afterwards in conversation with Team Visma | Lease a Bike's official website.

After 4th at Dwars Door Vlaanderen and 3rd at the Amstel Gold Race, another top-10 continues a very impressive spring classics campaign for the 30-year-old. "Considering the conditions, I felt good today," Benoot stated. "I haven't often felt so cold during a race. As the final climb approached, I felt better. But in the end the legs did run empty. All in all, a top-ten place in La Fleche Wallonne remains an excellent result. I'm heading optimistically to next Sunday's Liège-Bastogne-Liège."

"I am proud of how the men showed themselves today. They made the race hard and stood by Tiesj until the end. For riders like Johannes Staune-Mittet, Tim van Dijke and Loe van Belle, who were part of our Development Team in previous years, this was a very instructive day given the weather conditions," adds sports director Arthur van Dongen. "We deserved maybe a little more than that ninth place, but the Mur de Huy doesn't lie."