"There were too few allies, and too many sprinters who preferred a sprint. And rightly so" - Tim Wellens' efforts at Nokere Koerse come to vain

Nokere Koerse was the final test for Tim Wellens ahead of the big classics block, starting with Milan-Sanremo this Saturday and ending with Paris-Roubaix next month. The UAE Team Emirates rider showed to be in a good shape with a strong late attack that was eventually reeled in.

Wellens had actually announced it in advance: he would attack on the cobbled sectors. And he kept his word. "I did everything I could, but I think it was very difficult. If you want to outride someone on flat roads, you have to be very strong. And I wasn't that strong either," he told WielerFlits afterwards.

"The racing was very slow in the beginning and as soon as we hit the cobblestones on the local laps, the race opened up. At the end I had a nice gap. For a moment I thought I was going to win. I didn't really come to a standstill, but I had the impression that they had to ride very fast behind me."

Wellens also found himself completely alone in his efforts. Where previously teams such as Groupama-FDJ, TDT-Unibet and Lotto Dstny also tried a number of times, Wellens had to fight alone against the wide mouth of the peloton in the end. "There were too few allies, and too many sprinters who preferred a sprint. And when you see the results, rightly so."