Jempy Drucker of the BMC Racing Team placed sixth in the bunch sprint finish Sunday at Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne after teammate Philippe Gilbert saw his bid for a solo victory end with 600 meters to go.
Gilbert attacked with five kilometers to go in the 196 km race. Though he never enjoyed more than a 10-second advantage, the former world road champion still led by five seconds with a kilometer to go. But the peloton swarmed him after the final turn and Mark Cavendish (Etixx-Quick Step) took the win ahead of Alexander Kristoff (Katusha Team).
Drucker's finish was his first top 10 finish of the season and his best result at Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne.
"This flat sprint was nothing for me, so I wanted to try something, but the course was not really difficult, so everyone was still fairly fresh," Gilbert told Sporza. "Why we couldn't stay away with the big group? Etixx wanted everyone to cooperate, but with Cavendish on board it is normal that the cooperation was not good. My conclusion? I'm good, but not great. But that's ideal."
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