Theo Bos won in the third stage of the Tour de l’Eurometropole today and gave the Belkin Pro Cycling Team a farewell gift in the process. In his last race in the team’s green and black colours, he sprinted to victory in the 174-kilometer stage to Middelkerke.

“Super cool! I’m very happy,” Bos said to the Belkin website. “During the sprint, I felt I was at the top of my game. I saw two wheels approaching in the end, but fortunately I was able to keep my lead.

“I really wanted to do well here. I worked hard to be good, which is, at the end of the season, tough mentally. That’s what makes me extra happy.”

A group of five led the race for a long time, but in the final ten kilometres the attackers were brought to a halt, after which Bos bossed the competition in a mass sprint. His team-mates shared in the festivities afterwards and received compliments.

“Dennis van Winden and Graeme Brown supported me superbly. Dennis dropped me off at the front with one kilometre to go and Graeme put me in an excellent position. After the pack narrowed down to a long line, I was able to focus, wait and jump.

“This is a nice farewell gift. We’re going to celebrate this with the team tonight.”

The focus will quickly shift to Sunday, though. The peloton faces the traditional final stage that runs from Mons to Tournai. After a short run-up, the riders will race eight laps, each one with a climb.

“Our tactic is clear,” said Sports Director Erik Dekker. “We want Theo to remain in the first group so that he can do another good sprint. In the past two years, he has been able to keep up with the first group. We will see what this year will bring.”