The Belkin Pro Cycling Team’s Theo Bos added the Ronde van Zeeland Seaports to his palmares on Saturday, finishing off early work by his teammates skill fully to win in Goes. Ramon Sinkeldam of Team Giant-Shimano was second. 



A leading group of seven riders dominated most of the race. But when the breakaway extended their lead to two and half minutes, Belkin Sports Director Michel Elijzen commanded his troops in green and black to take the front, ultimately reeling in the breakaway with just 10 kilometres to go and making a bunch sprint inevitable. 



"It was quite a fight at the beginning of the race. There were many breakaway attempts," said a satisfied Bos after the finish. "When the seven finally went away, we began controlling the race. We rode hard but steady, without any really high efforts; 170 kilometres of riding like that can be quite tiring."



Team Belkin did get some help in the final. Two other fast sprinters, Kenny van Hummel of Androni Giocattoli and Ramon Sinkeldam of Team Giant-Shimano, put their teams at the front, too. But Bos bested Sinkeldam in the last kilometre. 


"Giant-Shimano tried to get over our train in the last kilometre. We saw that coming. I jumped right onto Sinkeldam’s wheel after Graeme Brown indicated it," continues Theo Bos. "I do not know who picked up the sprint for Giant-Shimano, but it was too long and he lost power. Sinkeldam had to start his sprint too early and I was on his wheel, an ideal position. It was not hard to out sprint him in the end.”

Belkin's Sports Director Michel Elijzen said he was delighted with the 12th victory of his team this year.

"We mapped out he whole race," he said. "We knew we had to let a small group go and then take control of the race. Marc Goos and Rick Flens spent 170km off the front of the peloton. In the end, the Belkin sprint train took over and positioned Theo perfectly in the sprint. It’s been a while since Theo has won. This is nice for him personally and, of course, for the team. This was a very good performance by the team today. " 



Bos’s win at the Ronde van Zeeland Seaports was his sixth victory of the season, and the team’s 12th. "A victory is always important, no matter where you earn it. This is a tricky race. The team was a great help to me today, and we’ll try just to enjoy the victory now."