Trentin wins Primus Classic Impanis - Van Petegem

Matteo Trentin won the Classic Impanis-Van Petegem on Saturday, crossing the line solo to finish off a tactical race that revolved around his Quick-Step Floors team.

Trentin, who won four stages at the recent Vuelta a Espana, was one of four Quick-Step riders in a 15-rider move that emerged towards the end of the Belgian one-day race, and when he accelerated inside the final 10km BMC’s Jempy Drucker was the only one to go with him.

Trentin, not content to wait for a two-up sprint, attacked the BMC rider with a couple of kilometres remaining, comfortably riding away through a brace of tight corners to give himself enough time sit up and celebrate in the home straight.

Drucker took second place, while Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal) took third, the German having been part of the peloton that caught the remnants of the front group soon after Trentin and Drucker had gone clear.

It took an hour for a breakaway to form, and when it did there were six riders involved. They were: Martijn Budding (Roompot), Tom Devriendt (Wanty Groupe Gobert), Romain Guillemois (Direct Energie), Guillaume Haag (T.Palm-Pole), Alex Kirsch (WB Veranclassic Aqua) and Kenny Molly (Fortuneo-Oscaro)

They carved out a lead of nearly four minutes but a split in the peloton saw the bunch come roaring back with still over 50km to race. They weren't caught, but they were joined, as 13 riders, including Trentin, clipped across from the peloton. 

Two contenders were taken out of the picture when Mark Cavendish was dropped and Dan McLay crashed, and then the situation up front changed again with 33km to go. Tiesj Benoot, his Lotto Soudal team having led the chase in the peloton, attacked to bridge over to a fraying lead group, taking Gaviria and his leadout man Max Richeze with him. Suddenly Quick-Step had four in a group of 15 and they hit the front while the sting was taken out of the chase. 

Gaviria attacked with 24km to go to encourage other teams in the lead group to take responsibility, while in the peloton behind Direct Energie and Topsport Vlaanderen started to mount a proper chase, with the gap hovering at 20 seconds. 

With 6.5km to go, Trentin ghosted off the front, not so much through an attack as a couple of corners and sustained acceleration. Drucker was on his wheel and suddenly they were away, no one behind willing to take it up. 

The peloton soon came back to that group, but Trentin was soon away on his own to celebrate a victory that confirms him as a favourite for the World Championships next weekend. There would have been quite an inquest, had Quick-Step not won this one. 

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