True to character, Michael Mørkøv (Saxo-Tinkoff) displayed remarkable form and determination as he launched an attack and subsequently played an active role in the long breakaway during yesterday's 195 kilometre initial stage of Tour de l'Eurométropole from La Louviére to Moorslede.

Despite sharing the workload equally, the escapees were unable to fend off the chasing pack and they were duly reeled back in as they entered the finale where a bunch sprint was underway as several teams were jostling for the right position. Eventually the sprinter teams thundered towards the finish line where Jens Debusschere (Lotto-Belisol) was the fastest of all.

Michael Mørkøv won three bonus sprints during the breakaway and clinched enough seconds to move into second position in the general classification.

“It was a really fast start of the stage and everyone wanted to go and we had all our guys in different breaks. When the break finally went away, we had our probably strongest card, Michael Mørkøv up there sprinting his way to crucial bonus seconds and he can now enjoy the view from the podium. This race is traditionally won with only a few seconds so today's effort was money in the bank and now we have to stay focused to remain the position,” said Saxo-Tinkoff DS Dan Frost.