Team LottoNL-Jumbo came out of the Halle-Ingooigem one-day race with mixed feelings. Sep Vanmarcke and Bram Tankink rode strongly, Tom Van Asbroeck finished fourth, but Nick van der Lijke crashed heavily, which could bring a forced stop. Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) won the race.

“Nick’s crash is a big setback,” sports director Frans Maassen said after the race. “That didn’t look good. In the bunch sprint, another rider made a move, which took out his front wheel. Very unlucky. He was full of abrasions and I’m afraid that he broke his collarbone, but we’ll have to wait for the examination.”

Maassen was satisfied with the way the race went for his team.

“We rode a deserving race,” he continued. “Moreno Hofland didn’t feel strong, so we decided to ride for Sep Vanmarcke and Tom Van Asbroeck.

“Sep attacked in the final of the race with a group of five riders. They were caught with two kilometres to go, unfortunately. In the bunch sprint, Tom was stuck. He was only able to sprint in the last hundred metres. It could have been more than this fourth place.” 

“I couldn’t do anything about it,” Van Asbroeck said about the sprint. “I was just stuck in the pack and then you curse. Tom Boonen (Etixx – Quick Step) slowed down in the end, so a little bit of space arose, but it was too late. My legs felt good in the sprint. That gives me a boost.”