"I was going crazy, but I was almost certain I had won" - Arnaud de Lie on Super 8 Classic masterclass

The Super 8 Classic provided one of the final opportunities of the season for the classics specialists to thrive and battle for a victory in the cobbled sector of Belgium. Although it was a very open race, Arnaud de Lie was considered the main favourite, and the Lotto rider certainly did not disappoint as he didn't crack under pressure and got away with the victory.

There were two hours of high-octane action with multiple attacks on the day's climbs and final flat section, with De Lie not holding back and not racing defensively. He tried actively to split the group and make it smaller to the finish to avoid being outplayed later on, but ultimately there was a lot of interest in the group to bring things back to a sprint.

"The final meters were very tactical, with another attack from Kwiatkowski I was on the wheel of a Tudor rider and saw Jordi [Meeus] attacking on the right, so I decided to follow," he explained. But in the group of 19 riders he had Jenno Berckmoes who did his share to keep the attacks under control in the end.

Tudor led out a sprint to the line but De Lie was the fastest, having another incredible sprint on top of the usual punch he's shown throughout the past few months. "I was going crazy, but I was almost certain I had won. Brennan's final meters were very fast, but the lead I had was enough. My fitness is excellent."

This is the Belgian's third win of the month, and he will continue to race through non World-Tour events over the coming weeks where more triumphs are expeted. "Hopefully, my legs will stay strong for a long time; we'll see," he added.

"I was definitely in top form today. The season is still long for me, with Paris-Chauny, the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro, Paris-Tours, and the Tour of Holland. It's already incredibly special that I was able to race two races this week that suit me, and I still have a lot of ambition for the rest of the season".