Team NetApp-Endura took their 9th win of the season when the series of Belgian autumn classics kicked off with the GP Stad Zottegem. The team's Slovenian sprinter Blaz Jarc made it into the decisive 20-rider group and instead of waiting for the sprint, he launched a successful solo move to take the win ahead of Boris Dron (Wallonie-Bruxelles) and Wouter Mol (Vacansoleil).

NetApp-Endura is gearing up for its biggest season objective at the Vuelta a Espana and today they team got the perfect confidence boost when Blaz Jarc won the first of several Belgian autumn classics, GP Stad Zottegem. In a very aggressive race, the Slovenian joined a 20-rider group that ended up lapping the peloton and so had to decide the win.

Jarc is a sprinter but with other fast riders in the break, he decided not to wait for a final dash to the line. Instead, he launched his own solo move and benefited from the lack of cooperation among his former companions. No one was able to catch the fast Slovenian who crossed the line to take his first professional win.

Boris Dron made a late counterattack to take second while Wouter Mol just held off his chasers to take the final spot on the podium. As the peloton had been eliminated from the race, only 29 riders finished what ended up as a very hard 78th edition of the Belgian one-day race.

A fast start

The 181,7km GP Stad Zottegem was a real Belgian classic and contained no less than 13 of the famous hellingen and two cobbled stretches. The race finished with 5 laps on a 29,4km circuit which contained 2 of those short, steep climbs.

The race was off to an extremely fast start as the race had often been decided by a big breakaway that got clear early in the race. Many riders plan to join such a move and the fast pace created a hectic atmosphere that was the main reason for a big crash.

A fruitless attack

As a consequence, many riders were forced to abandon the race but up ahead the fast pace continued. Cesare Benedetti (Team Netapp-Endura), Ricardo van Dongen (Rabobank Development Team) and Martin Mortensen (Concordia Forsikring-Riwal) were the first riders to get a noticeable gap and they were joined by Arno Van Der Zwet (Koga) to form a front quartet.

That move never had any chance and was brought back by the fast-moving peloton. Instead, Quentin Bertholet (Wallonie-Bruxelles) attacked and he got company from Olivier Kaisen (Lotto-Belisol), Willem Wauters (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro CT), Edigijus Juodvalkis (Crelan-Euphony), Cesare Benedetti (Team Netapp-Endura), Wout Franssen (An Post-Chainreaction), Martin Herbæk Grøn (Concordia Forsikring-Riwal) and Quentin Borcy (Verandas Willems).

A bigger group is formed

Those 8 riders collaborated well but nonetheless a 16-rider chase group managed to bridge across. Maarten Neyens & Frederique Robert (Lotto-Belisol), Frederik Veuchelen (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro CT), Koen Barbé (Crelan-Euphony), Robert Kluge (Team Netapp-Endura), Kenneth Vanbilsen (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Coen Vermeltfoort (CT De Rijke-Shanks), Alex Peters (Madison-Genesis), Dries Hollanders (Metec-TKH CT), Benjamin Sydlik (Nutrixxion Abus), Jasper Bovenhuis & Martijn Tusveld (Rabobank Development Team), Glenn Van De Maele (T.Palm-Pôle Continental Wallon), Lars Andersson (Concordia Forsikring-Riwal), Tom Goovaerts (Team 3M) and Niels Vandyck (Verandas Willems) joined forces with the leaders to form a big 24-rider group.

Marcel Sieberg (Lotto-Beilsol), Wouter Mol (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro CT), Andreas Schillinger (Netapp-Endura), Jarl Salomein, Jasper De Buyst & Jelle Wallays (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Wouter Wippert (Team 3M) and Laurent Evrard (Wallonie-Bruxelles) set off in pursuit and after a long chase, they also bridged across to the breakaway. Suddenly, a big 32-rider group was up the road and the race could very well be decided.

Accent starts to chase

Henryk Cardoen (Doltcini-Flanders) and Wouter Haan (Koga CT) both tried to ride across but there effort was fruitless as Accent.jobs had missed the move. The Belgian team decided to take on the daunting task of chase down the big break and for a long time, the two group were involved in a fierce pursuit.

The peloton came out triumphant from that battle and with 83km to go, it was all back together. Of course, that only set the scene for new attacks and Veuchelen, Brian Van Goethem (Metec) and Grischa Janorschke (Nutrixxion) were the first to get clear.

The decisive group gets clear

More riders bridged across and suddenly Olivier Kaisen & Frederique Robert (Lotto-Belisol), Marco Marcato, Wouter Mol & Frederik Veuchelen (Vacansoleil-DCM Pro CT), Stefan van Dijk (Accent Jobs-Wanty), Kurt Hovelijnck (Crelan-Euphony), Blaz Jarc & Roger Kluge (Team Netapp-Endura), Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Bob Schoonbroodt (CT De Rijke-Shanks), Michael Nicolson (Doltcini-Flanders), Oscar Riesebeek & Brian van Goethem (Metec-TKH CT), Grischa Janorschke (Nutrixxion Abus), Etienne van Empel (Rabobank Development Team), Gediminas Kaupaus (Team Differdange-Losch), Jonas Schmeiser & Stefan Schäffer (Team NSP-Ghost) & Boris Dron (Wallonie-Bruxelles) formed a 20-rider front group. James Vanlandschoot (Accent Jobs-Wanty), Koen Barbé (Crelan-Euphony), Dylan Groenewegen (Metec-TKH CT), Bart van Haaren (Koga CT), Joren Segers (Team 3M), Ralf Matzka (Team Netapp-Endura) & Rick Zabel (Rabobank Development Team) formed a chase group less than one minute behind while the peloton quickly gave up on the race win.

The front group even lapped the peloton and so most of the riders were eliminated from the race. At that point Sjef De Wilde (Differdange) and Andrew Ydens (T.Palm-PCW) had launched a suicide move and so only 29 riders were now left in the race.

Puncture for Kaisen

Kaisen had bad luck and punctured out of the group, instead joining forces with the 8 chasers. The two main groups were involved in a hard fight for the rest of the race but the chase group never managed to close the gap.

Instead, it was left to the 19 leaders to decide the race and Veuchelen was the first to launch an attack. He spent some time off the front before being reeled in.

Veuchelen aggressive

Veuchelen refused to give up and so he joined a new move alongside Nicholson, Dron and Riesebeek. Once again, he had no luck and with 5km to go, it was all back together.

Just as most were ready for a 19-rider sprint, Jarc made his surprise attack. Mol set off in pursuit but no one were able to catch the lone Slovenian who crossed the line in solo fashion to win the race.

Dron had made a late move to overtake Mol and so took the second step on the podium while the Vacansoleil rider just managed to hold off his chasers to take 3rd.

Result:

1. Blaz Jarc 4.05.16

2. Boris Dron +0.05

3. Wouter Mol +0.07

4. Pieter Vanspeybrouck

5. Marco Marcato

6. Grischa Janorschke

7. Frederique Robert

8. Stefan Van Dijk

9. Jonas Schmeiser

10. Roger Kluge