BMC Racing Team's Loïc Vliegen finished eighth Saturday on the opening stage of the Tour de Wallonie while earning "most aggressive rider" honors.

Vliegen was part of a 14-rider breakaway that splintered on the final climb of the 190.7-kilometer race that was run through wind and rain. Niki Terpstra (Etixx-Quick.Step) and Victor Campenaerts (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise) attacked out of the breakaway near the top and held on to the finish, with Terpstra taking the win.

Vliegen finished in a group of six riders 21 seconds later. The peloton arrived 65 seconds after the stage winner, with BMC Racing Team's Rick Zabel finishing 14th.

"It was a pretty difficult day given the weather conditions," Vliege told Directvelo. "I must admit that I finished on the knees. Apart from Niki Terpstra who stood out, others paid for their efforts. Everyone was cooked in the group.

"The plan before the start was not to let a dangerous group get away. When it got clear just after the Cote de Ben Ahin, I noticed that there were some riders from WorldTour teams. So I also slipped into the breakaway. 

"In the coming days, we will have to see what thethe team tactics will be. For sure I have an advantage of a few seconds but we must not forget that we have Philippe Gilbert in our ranks. I will perhaps have to work for him, especially in the stages to Thuin or Namur, or at least I have to protect him."

"We were represented in the front with Loïc Vliegen who is a young neo-pro," sports director Valerio Piva said. "We wanted to trust him. When we rode on the front, it was to prevent the leading group from getting an excessive advantage. The general classification is actually a goal. Although we have Philippe Gilbert in our ranks, we will not accept to bear the weight of the race every day."