Tom Van Asbroeck finished sixth today in the Omloop van het Houtland Lichtervelde. Belgian Jens Debusschere of Lotto-Soudal won after 198 kilometers in a bunch kick.

“With 500 metres to go, I sat behind a rider who suddenly dropped his pace,” Van Asbroeck said of his sprint. “I was riding on the left side of the road and at that moment, the train of Debusschere powered by me on the right. At 250 metres from the line, there was a left-hand corner and I was boxed in a little. That was a pity because I recovered quite well from the Vuelta and my legs are fine. I’m still ambitious for the remainder of the season and in Franco Belge, I hope to profit from my form. After today, I really want to bounce back.”

Erik Dekker saw a turbulent race on the Belgian roads.

“There was a lot of wind and riders were constantly attacking,” the Sports Director. “There were echelons all over the place. When we arrived on the local lap, around 100 men were already dropped. In the final laps, we helped in the chase to bring back the break and get Tom ready for the sprint.”

Dekker specially mentioned trainee Koen Bouwman afterwards.

“Today’s course was not really his cup of tea, but he bravely defended himself and he even managed to get in a breakaway. The other men showed commitment as well.”