To be part of the early break, to gain experience in one of the monuments and maybe play a role in the finale. The goals for the debut in the Tour of Flanders were clear for Roompot. And to the satisfaction of the team management, they were largely achieved by the young team.

Dylan Groenewegen was the most eye-catching rookie. The 21-year old from Amsterdam was part of the early break and led the race for more than 150km.  "In the first hour, tt was really a fight to join the front," Groenewegen said afterwards. "Only after three attempts, I succeeded. It was really nice to be able to experience such a day. The bustle in the villages and the enthusiasm of the audience on the climbs are truly impressive."

The winner of last year's U23 Ronde and runner-up in 2013 is apparently strong in the region between Ronse and Geraardsbergen. "This suits me, yes. But the toughness of the U23 race is incomparable to what I experienced today. Unfortunately, I was dropped on the Kanarieberg, but I can do something in the future."

In addition toGroenewegen's break, Wesley Kreder and Johnny Hoogerland (despite a crash early in the race) survived the longest with the favorites. The experienced duo ended in Oudenaarde in a 3rd group while the young neo-pros Tim Kerkhof, Sjoerd van Ginneken, Brian van Goethem and Berden de Vries reached the finish in their first Tour of Flanders.