With no sprinter on the roster, Belkin went into the RideLondon Classic with the plan to make the race hard but they ended up making it a bit too tough for themselves. Having placed Stef Clement in the decisive breakaway, the time trial specialist fell off the pace in the finale and so had to settle for 8th.

Stef Clement led Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM with eighth place in the 3rd Prudential London Classic on Sunday.

British pro Adam Blythe (NFTO) won on home roads on a similar course used in the 2012 London Olympic Games road race. The 192-kilometre course climbed five short but steep hills, resulting in a race with plenty of attacks. 
 

Team Belkin placed Jonathan Hivert in an early breakaway, but he suffered a puncture at a bad moment, and lost contact.

"Hivert rode into the first break, but Team Sky pulled full strength. They wanted to have a sprint," said Belkin Sports Director Frans Maassen. "There was some action in the hilly zone, but it all came back together heading back toward London."
 

Former world champion Philippe Gilbert (BMC) attacked late to break up the peloton, forcing Belkin to take up the chase in a vain effort to catch a five-man breakaway before the finish line on The Mall in central London.

"Gilbert attacked, and he was the best guy in the race, but some riders brought him back for the final sprint," Maassen explained. "Stef was present in the first chase group, but it was every man for himself. It was a tough race. We saw guys getting dropped because of the speed."
 

Most of the riders present in London head to the Arctic Race of Norway, with four days of racing in the far north of Norway.

"We did the best we could. We worked hard to make the race hard, because we would not have had a chance in a mass sprint. The guys made a good race," Maassen said. "Everyone now heads up to Norway. That should be an interesting race."