Tim Wellens secured a breakthrough victory when he won the Eneco Tour overall by staying safe in today's tricky final stage of the race. Having fallen ill just prior to the race, the Belgian was on the verge of not starting the race that has now given Lotto Belisol their first ever overall victory in a WorldTour stage race.

Tim Wellens has won the tenth edition of the Eneco Tour. After his fantastic stage win of yesterday the entire Lotto Belisol team defended the leader’s jersey of the young rider, who could stand on the podium as the overall winner; the first WorldTour overall victory for Lotto Belisol.
 
Before the stage the situation was clear: Wellens had to keep an eye on Lars Boom and Tom Dumoulin first of all and don’t give them any space. Also the wind promised to play its part in Dutch and Belgian Limburg, on a course that had similarities to the Amstel Gold Race, with many turns and 22 hills.
 
It took about fifteen kilometers before a front group of 20 riders was formed. Julien Vermote was the best ranked rider in GC, at more than six minutes of Wellens, so he wasn’t a big threat. The escapees also took the bonification seconds, so Boom and Dumoulin didn’t get the opportunity to get closer. The gap rose up to 5’20” after 80 kilometers, while Lotto Belisol, with among other Dockx and Sieberg, set the pace in the peloton.
 
With the final coming up it was Belkin, as expected, that took the initiative, but the two attempts to make echelons weren’t successful; Wellens and his teammates were racing really attentively. Behind the back of Roelandts and Vanendert Wellens saw the distance to the finish getting smaller, the peloton had been considerably reduced. In front it was Van Keirsbulck who attacked with 15 kilometers to go. The rider of OPQS set a strong performance and rode solo to the victory. On the last hill BMC tried, together with Boom and Dumoulin, to attack Wellens one last time, but Wellens responded to all their moves. In the final kilometers the danger had gone.
 
“Before this weekend I had never won a race yet, so this is definitely the highlight of my career so far," he said. "A WorldTour victory in Belgium is really special. Many people cheered for me along the way, start town Riemst is at 20 kilometers from my parents’ house.
 
“Before the stage there was more attention for the  danger of the wind than for Boom and Dumoulin. The way the team performed today is fantastic. I could actually be relaxed in the wheel of Sieberg first and then that of Roelandts. Belkin tried to make an echelon twice, but we never had problems. We were really focused and only on the last hill Boom and Dumoulin tried to force something.
 
“Two days before the start I went to see the team doctor because I was ill. We postponed the decision to start and of course I’m very pleased I did start. The beginning of the week was difficult for the team, but as of Friday I started believing there were opportunities. And with Jelle Vanendert I had a teammate who was really strong as well.
 
“The opportunities me and other young Belgian riders get wouldn’t be there without the immense support of Lotto. The different projects with which they give chances to young riders to develop their talent brought me to where I am today. The Belgian cycling project, with the support of so many Belgian partners, is indispensable for our cycling sport.
 
“This victory doesn’t mean I will start as a favourite in the next one-day races of the WorldTour, but I’m eager to perform well in Plouay – working for the team – Québec, Montréal and Lombardia.”
 
“It was predicted not to be an easy day, but the guys did their job perfectly," sports director Herman Frison said. "You see what a leader’s jersey does to a team. Riders like Sieberg and Dockx didn’t get their ideal course but rode a hell of a race. I think we rode our best race of the season collectively. But I was only certain when he had actually crossed the finish line.
 
“With Tim a Belgian rider wins the only Belgian World Tour stage race, in a cycling country like ours. On top of that he comes from our own development project, in which it’s our vision and that of the sponsors to offer opportunities to young riders; the way he did this is really nice. Maybe races like Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico are of another level, but when you look at the attractiveness you can rate the Eneco Tour higher than País Vasco, Catalunya or Romandie I think.
 
“This week didn’t start well. Roelandts didn’t feel well on day one and got dropped, Debusschere had diarrhea a day later and our team got surprised by a split in the peloton and Thursday Greipel had to abandon due to illness and go home without a stage win. I know him, if he leaves the race he really isn’t feeling well.

"Tim stood at 49” and Jelle at more than a minute, so a place between five and ten in GC looked the highest possible. But Friday was a change for us. Jens joined  a break, Jelle and Tim moved up in GC and the performance of Tim on Saturday was really great.”
 
“Saturday the Vuelta begins and the next few weeks there are five more WorldTour one-day races programmed. We have to continue this way and with guys like Greipel, Roelandts, Wellens, Vanendert and Gallopin we definitely aim for points.”
 
The stage win and overall victory of Tim Wellens yield him and the team 106 WorldTour points, so with 452 points the team jumps from the sixteenth to the thirteenth place.