"This is a big middle finger: here I am!" - Bredene Koksijde Classic victory very important for Gerben Thijssen

It took a long time this season for Gerben Thijssen to get up to speed this year, but he is officially in. Recently at the GP Jean-Pierre Monseré he was awarded victory but he could not enjoy it as Lotto Dstny extensively acted upon a faulty photo-finish. Today Thijssen proved his worth once again, dealing a very strong punch in the competition.

“Now it was clear, the difference. All my frustration came out about that win. Did I win or did I not win, that was all bullshit. This is a big middle finger: here I am!” Thijssen said in a post-race interview, before appreciating the work of Intermarché-Circus-Wanty today: “They did everything for me today. When you see how we go through fire for each other, it's unbelievable. Today I show once again that I have a very good sprint, that is good."

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The Belgian sprinted had a rough start to the year, underperforming at the Tour Down Under and UAE Tour. It was on his return to Europe that he began collecting results again, and this may feel like his first of the season. “It is really fantastic to win here. When Juan Sebastián Molano started the sprint I really had to bite to keep the wheel from Ackermann," he details.

The Belgian team executed a strong leadout for Thijssen who was then at the right place at the right time: "When it started to sprint, I thought: I can handle that. Then I just had to give it my all for 150 meters. I deliberately waited a long time, which worked out well," he concluded. He beat Pascal Ackermann and Sam Welsford in the sprint to take an emotional win.