Intermarché-Wanty and Rune Herregodts celebrated victory on Sunday 9th of June, as Herregodts claimed the overall title in the ZLM Tour after a thrilling fifth and final stage.
From the very start, Herregodts conquered the yellow jersey following his dominant performance in the opening time trial. This triumph marked a historic moment for the Walloon team, because it was the first ever time trial victory in an international UCI event.
With the support of his teammates, he secured the overall victory after an eventful last stage, in which he crashed out of the breakaway with 50km to go.
As in every stage, Rune Herregodts could count on the unwavering dedication of his teammates. Alessio Delle Vedove and Kevin Kuhn, members of Development team Wanty-ReUz-Technord, tirelessly covered countless kilometers at the front of the peloton, neutralizing all breakaway attempts.
With the expertise of Boy van Poppel and Mike Teunissen, along with the protective presence of Roel van Sintmaartensdijk, who just finished his first Grand Tour, the yellow jersey remained safe in the peloton in the approach of the bunch sprints in all four flat stages.
Gerben Thijssen, who secured a podium finish on the second day in Wissenkerke, placed fifth on the fourth day and ninth on Sunday. Mike Teunissen took sixth place in Buchten on the third stage.
In addition to the winner, Intermarché-Wanty placed two other riders in the top 10, with Roel van Sintmaartensdijk and Mike Teunissen, fourth and eighth respectively, which resulted in the win in the team’s classification.
“We were expecting more crosswinds on this final day and therefore raced in the front as a team from the start. In this way, Mike Teunissen and I were able to escape with a strong group after one hour of racing. However, this perfect situation was completely turned upside down when Rudiger Selig crashed in front of me and I landed hard on my shoulder. By the time I got up, the peloton had already passed me, but despite the pain I was able to catch up. We had to sacrifice the whole team to close the gap with the breakaway, which unfortunately left us without our best forces to properly surround Gerben Thijssen towards the sprint. Just like yesterday, when I made a mistake by missing the first echelon, the team managed to turn a bad situation around. I want to thank all my teammates for the work they have done over the past few days to defend my yellow jersey. My next goal is Belgium Tour, with a particular focus on the opening time trial. My shoulder is giving me some cause for concern, but that won't stop me from enjoying this victory!”
