Jordi Warlop battled against strong crosswinds, deep sand and a number of fellow professional road racers to win the Belgian beach racing championships.
Warlop gave the B&B Hotels team a final win in 2022, after their struggle to find new sponsors and sign Mark Cavendish ultimately lead to their demise. Warlop is still looking for a new team but hoped the win on the beach of Breden near Ostend can boost his chances.
Warlop raced on a mountain bike, while other riders opted for gravel bikes optimised for the wet and hard sand near the sea and the dry, deep sand on other parts of the 54 km race up and down the windswept beach overlooking the North Sea to England.
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The 27-year-old Belgian beat Sep Vanmarcke and Bert Van Lerberghe after joining an early attack and distancing many of the 250 riders and the other 20 professional riders who had signed up for a day of pre-season, just for fun, racing. Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen, Tim Declerq, Yves Lampaert were all in action but failed to make the winning move.
“I actually didn't expect this. This was only my fourth beach race. It is mainly preparation for the new season, but I did everything I could and I was rewarded for that,” Warlop explained.
“Bert Van Lerberghe was clearly better in the beginning, but as the race progressed I got better and better.”
Warlop wore his 2022 B&B Hotels colours for the last time before the team officially ends its time as a ProTeam on January 1.
“It’s terrible that the team is stopping. The search for a new team is still ongoing but it’s the same everywhere: either no budget or no space. Hopefully something will come out of the woods.”
