This Tuesday 27th of February, Intermarché-Wanty won the first Walloon race of the season thanks to Laurenz Rex, winner of the 56th edition of Le Samyn.
The German speaking rider, sixth in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad last Saturday, obtained his first professional success in the colours of the Walloon World Team at the end of a 200 kilometer race in the province of Hainaut, between Quaregnon and Dour.
Surrounded by an exceptionally young team Intermarché-Wanty, with an average age of 21 with among others his brother Tim Rex and Huub Artz of the Continental Development Team Wanty-ReUz-Technord, the powerful Laurenz Rex won the sprint of the peloton and offered the team of Jean-François Bourlart the fourth success of 2024.
The young group of Intermarché-Wanty remained attentive for the numerous race movements during the four local laps, each of them containing the Côte de Nennettes and de la Roquette and three other flat and wet cobble sections.
After a crash involving Dries De Pooter and Madis Mihkels, Vito Braet and Rex started the final kilometers in the first group of strong riders and it was the Walloon who won thanks to a bike jump. Braet concluded the top 10, pursuing his series of nice results after two podiums earlier this month.
"With the performance team we decided to not add Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne to my programme this year in order to appear in perfect conditions at the start of Le Samyn on Tuesday. This choice paid off. Today it was my role to guide our young team and my teammates did a perfect job. This is a team victory, we always had the race under control. We never spilled energy but at the same time, always stayed attentive for race movements. We know that other teams had good cards in case of a sprint, so I also participated in the attacks. Despite everything, a united peloton headed towards Dour and I knew I had a chance in this sprint with strong riders." "This victory, my first in a professional race, is the best present for my team, for the confidence they put in me. And winning with my younger brother alongside me as a teammate, that makes it even better. Intermarché-Wanty is like my family. I find fulfilment in my role in the team, whether it is as a leader alongside our young riders like today or in the sprint train, I feel listened to and it is in this way that I am able to give the best of myself. I'm now heading to Tirreno-Adriatico to pursue my road towards Paris-Roubaix, which remains my dream race."
