Van Aert again strongest at Heusden-Zolder
Wout van Aert has won at Heusden-Zolder for the third year in a row. On the fast...
Tiesj Benoot has finished fifth in the Tour de Luxembourg opening stage. The 29-year-old Belgian rider of Team Jumbo-Visma survived the final climbs before sprinting to fifth place in a reduced peloton. Corbin Strong took the win.
The 83rd edition of the Tour of Luxembourg kicked off in the capital of the same name. A 155-kilometre stage with several steep climbs awaited the peloton. A breakaway of four riders created a significant gap, but the peloton caught the four in the final kilometres. Benoot still had a strong final effort in his legs on the sloping last metres.
"We can be happy with this result", sports director Maarten Wynants said. "We knew that this finish was not quite Tiesj's thing. He rode a good final climb and could keep up with the best punchers, so from his point of view, it was a successful final."
"Our goal was to have Tim van Dijke in the lead group, but he ended up fifteen seconds behind the stage winner", Wynants continued. "We're expecting some challenging stages to come, so a lot can happen. Fighting for the overall win or a place on the final podium may be unrealistic, but we are taking it day by day."