Taco van der Hoorn’s tactical determination to bide his time in hopes of a breakaway dash could have value him a podium place at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne on Sunday.
The Intermarché-Circus-Wanty rider ended up ending fourth out of a five-man breakaway that noticed a dominant Jumbo-Visma go 1-2. Tiesj Benoot put in a shock late-race surge to take the victory whereas Nathan Van Hooydonck received the dash for second, the highly effective workforce timing their ways to perfection.
“That makes it harder. Usually I at all times assault within the remaining, however there’s at all times one man going behind you, and everybody was driving behind one another,” Van der Hoorn mentioned.
“So it was troublesome. I gambled for a dash, and I hoped there was one thing left, however I did not actually have one thing left.”
Van der Hoorn skipped the day before today’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and arrived on Opening Weekend at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne contemporary from an altitude coaching camp in Colombia, after having opened his season in Australia.
He acknowledged his intention to be part of the day’s breakaway at first of the race, even sporting a pair of aerodynamic leg heaters all through the 193km occasion.
“My form was good, I used to be proud of it. Particularly on the hills, I used to be higher than I used to be anticipating. Ultimately, I used to be a bit drained, after all, however all people was,” he mentioned.
Van der Hoorn had ridden his approach into the early break within the opening kilometres after which carried by when the profitable transfer fashioned with 75km to go over the Mont Saint-Laurent. In addition to Van der Hoorn it included Jumbo-Visma teammates Benoot and Van Hooydonck, together with Tim Wellens (UAE Group Emirates) and Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious).
“That was the plan, I used to be within the breakaway, and it was the plan to outlive the hills and hope to remain there for the ultimate. It got here again a bit early, in order that makes it a bit arduous to keep away from them on the hills, but it surely was okay,” Van der Hoorn mentioned.
On the run-in to the end, Jumbo-Visma performed to their strengths as Van Hooydonck attacked with 5km to go, Benoot jumped with 3.5km to go, and Van Hooydonck went once more 3km out after which additionally below the flamme rouge.
Lastly Benoot jumped clear alongside the limitations with 800 metres to go together with what ended up being the profitable late-race surge to the road. Van Hooydonck had sufficient left within the tank to dash for second place and Mohorič third, leaving Van der Hoorn off the rostrum in fourth and Wellens fifth.
Van der Hoorn admitted that ending fourth this yr felt nearly as disappointing as ending tenth final yr, the place he was a part of the breakaway that was caught on the ending straight by a charging peloton.
“It is a bit the identical. Disappointment, yeah, profitable was troublesome immediately, however a podium would have been good.”
