It was necessary to end this Belgian triptych with a race through Wallonia.  Consequently, there were lots of cobbles to face, again and again.  Although the race smiled on Kris Boeckmans (Lotto Soudal) who managed to win the sprint ahead of the remaining 20 riders in the front group, the day will be one for the IAM Cycling team to forget.
 
Luck chose in whose camp he’d stay at the Grand Prix Samyn, and unfortunately, it was clearly not with the group from the Swiss professional cycling team. 

“Today was just a mess because of a flat tire, two crashes, and in general just not going well,” IAM Cycling Rik Verbrugghe sports manager said after the race.  “Personally, I think that Jonas Van Genechten just flatted at the wrong time and the peloton broke into several groups after that.  He had to make a huge effort to get back onto the pack, and when he made it, he didn’t have enough left in the tank to have a chance in the final.  So I would say that this was a day to forget for the team and move on to think about what comes next.”
 
Though it was an unfortunate installment in the IAM Cycling history, the chapter is closed and the season continues.  Michel Thétaz’s team can now look to shine in some of the biggest races in the spring, including Paris-Nice and Tirreno Adriatico.
 
The team will also keep in mind how the Belgian episode will serve them in future, and how it toughened them up in view of future goals. Putting it into perspective, Rik Verbrugghe acknowledged that Wednesday’s race was made for the beefy riders. 

“Introducing the cobbled area into the race really changed its whole complexion,” Verbrugghe, himself a previous winner of the Flèche Wallonne, said.  “With three cobbled sections on a 25 kilometer circuit that was done four times in the last 100 kilometers, and then adding in the wind for good measure, I can assure you that it really makes this a much more difficult race.  To win a race like that, you had to have great legs and a lot less bad luck.”