Etixx Quick Step Fill The Ronde Van Zeeland Seaports Podium

23 March 2015 10:48

Iljo Keisse of Etixx Quick Step has won the Ronde Van Zeeland Seaports race

This 1.1 category race on the UCI European Tour was a stage of 196.1kms which started and finished in Terneuzen.After Etixx Quick Step who included the likes of Niki Terpstra had controlled the early attacks, Capiot, Mortensen, Bakker, Hoekstra, Groen and Cools got away but were pursued by a group of around twenty riders on a wet and cold afternoon in the Netherlands.

This chasing group bridged and was trimmed down to twenty four riders who had a thirty second lead over eight chasers with the peloton, some 1.45 back down the road.

With seventy kilometres left, Niki Terpstra, Iijo Keisse and Lukasz Wisniowski who attacked with 100kms to go, had taken a lead of 1.50 on Roosen, Teunissen, Lampaert, Maes, Trentin, Van Keirsbulck, Benoot, de Bie, Theuns, Vinther, Hoogerland, R Kreder, Van Goethem, Van Rhee and Vermeltfoort.

That lead extended to 3.10 and 4.15 with twenty five kilometres left. They were still 3.40 ahead, fifteen kilometres later and that gap proved enough for Iljo Keisse go on to take the win 4.34.36, beating team mates Niki Terpstra and Lukasz Wisniowski.

Two minutes and ten seconds later, Yves Lampaert of Etixx-QuickStep lead home the remaining sixteen riders who had finished the race.

I'm so happy with this win," Keisse said to his team's press office. "What a great result today! It's a really nice favour from Niki Terpstra and Lukasz Wisniowski to let me win. The hard work I did in the past years finally paid off and I'm thankful my teammates thought of me in this way. Niki did tell me as long as I still have good legs in the next races to help him win, so I will try my best to repay his good deed.

"Of course this isn't a Classic, but the teamwork demonstrated today really gives us a huge morale boost and shows the winning atmosphere we have among all 27 riders and all our staff.

"Also, to attack with three riders at 100 kilometres to go in a race is never an easy decision to make, but thanks to our collaboration as teammates we made it. When it comes to teamwork, this is a perfect example."

Source: DSG