On Sunday 24th of March, Gerben Thijssen came very close to a new success for Intermarché-Wanty by finishing second in La Roue Tourangelle for a second year in a row.
Thanks to the continuous support of his teammates, the Belgian sprinter survived the difficult final of this Coupe de France race and was in a position to sprint for the victory in the streets of Tours.
The Walloon World Team had everything under control until the last hectometers, with a sprint train consisting of Gijs Van Hoecke and Vito Braet neutralising the last attackers and piloting Thijssen, who was only defeated by Jason Tesson.
“We came here as a team with the mindset to win the race and worked hard for it all day long. My six teammates took control of the race from start to finish. However, at the finish one opponent was faster than myself. As a team we have not made a single mistake and we can therefore analyse this performance with a satisfied feeling. No matter the race, just like in Ghent-Wevelgem we showed our collective strength.That's why we can look towards the future with optimism. This race also confirms that I can race for the victory in difficult finals and that there is still a margin for progression. I am now really looking forward to my next big goal, the Scheldeprijs.”
