The Belgian Laurenz Rex (Intermarché) won the Samyn on Tuesday, the first cycling event of the season in Wallonia, securing the first victory of his career in the sprint ahead of the Portuguese Antonio Morgado.
After long minutes of waiting, the photo finish confirmed the victory by a few millimeters for the Liégeois, who had raised his arms before changing his mind just before crossing the line at Dour.
“I raised my arms too soon. Fortunately, I was lucky. This is my first professional victory. The team played very smart. I was leader. I am happy to have been worthy of this status,” explained the 24-year-old runner.
The race was also marked by the heavy fall and abandonment of the big favorite of the event, the Belgian Arnaud De Lie, 30 kilometers from the line.
The leader of the Lotto-Dstny team slipped and found himself on the ground a few seconds after changing bikes. He then got angry with one of his mechanics (seeming to mention a tire problem).
De Lie’s frustration was all the greater as the Belgian sprinter appeared in very good shape on Saturday at Het Nieuwsblad where he had been the main leader before taking 10th place.
De Lie is not the only one to have fallen. On a race with a Flandrian profile due to the numerous paved sectors punctuating the course, there were many falls.
Classification:
1. Laurenz Rex (BEL/Intermarché), the 204.3 km in 4 h 15:00
2. Antonio Morgado (POR/UAE) m.t.
3. Jenthe Biermans (BEL/Arkéa-B
4. Rasmus Tiller (NOR/Uno-X) m.t
5. Timo Kielich (BEL/Alpecin) m.t.
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