Le Samyn: Matteo Trentin wins short group sprint after agressive race

UAE Team Emirates have taken another strong win as Matteo Trentin conquered Le Samyn today. The Italian benefited from an agressive race which saw the main sprinters out of contention for the win, to then win the uphill sprint in Dour alongside a short escapee group.

The early breakaway of Sam Welsford (Team DSM), Nickolas Zukowsky (Human Powered Health), Jente Boons (BEAT Cycling), Kasper Saver (Minerva Cycling) and Sander Lemmens (Tarteletto - Isorex) rode well on the day but had no realistic chances of going on to fight for the race win, as they were caught with 45 kilometers to the finish - what was left of the group - as attacks swarmed out of the peloton, which was a constant.

Trentin was inside of a move with 24 kilometers to go, often putting in long stints at the front to make sure they would stick. Several riders came from behind, making for a nine rider group which worked together well until the final kilometers, despite some occasional attacks. Trentin, Campenaerts, Vliegen, van Gestel, De Bondt, Dewulf, Hofstetter and Quick-Step duo van Lerberghe and Cerny who were not working along, but Cerny the one rider who couldn't resist the pace.

Uno-X drove the pace in the peloton behind, however in the final kilometers some deorganization saw the gap fall slightly which gave the peloton back some hope, however the gap was too big and the riders in front could catch their breath back, and despite the peloton nearing quite a lot at the end the sprint was launched by van Gestel, and Trentin then made a dash for the line, holding off Hugo Hofstetter who was relatively blocked in the sprint. Dries de Bondt finished in third place, with the group of eight arriving some seconds before the peloton let by Rasmus Tiller.