Ludovic Robeet took a surprising victory in Nokere Koerse after he rode away in the last two kilometers from Damien Gaudin, with whom he was part of the long breakaway.
With 10 kilometres to go, only Gaudin and Robeet remained in front from the big breakaway while in the reduced pack, teams like UAE Team Emirates, Ineos-Grenadiers, Uno-X and Qhubeka-Assos controlled the pace.
Mark Cavendish (Deceunick-Quick-Step) crashed and although he managed to get back on the bike, he was left behind by the group.
At two kilometres from the finish and as the pack got closer, Robeet tried his luck and launched a strong attack that Gaudin couldn’t follow. This was enough for the Belgian rider of Bingoal-Wallonie Bruxelles to get the first victory in a one-day race of his career, while Gaudin and Luca Mozzato completed the final podium.
“A win is a win. I’m happy. Normally I always work for the sprinters but today I was in the breakaway. I never get the chance to go for the win and today was something different. I’m really happy,” Robeet said.
