Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) claimed victory at the Bredene Koksijde Classic on Friday.
The German beat Hugo Hofstetter (Arkea-Samsic) and Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix) to the line in a bunch sprint.
It was Ackermann's first win since the Deutschland Tour last summer, and his first for UAE Team Emirates since moving from Bora-Hansgrohe over the winter.
"I was not really lucky in the last weeks but my shape was really good," an elated Ackermann said after hitting out early to the victory.
"I was thinking about what's wrong but I think the mistake just was waiting too long in the sprints. Today I decided to go early like in the last years and it worked out again. I'm really happy about it."
It's Ackermann's second win at the Bredene Koksijde Classic after a similar finale in 2019.
"I have good memories about this race, I won it three years ago. I hope that was the final kick for me and now it's going forward to the next races. I already felt good in the last days, I was just a bit unsure because I had now 10 race days in 12 days. Now I stop the first part of the season with a victory and can look forward to the next race in De Panne next week.
"My shape is really good, my level is higher than the last years - my sprint power is better than last year. I am looking forward to the next races. It's really special because for the first time in my career I'll do the Classics, so I'm really looking forward to it and hope I can do something in the next weeks. I'm really proud to be part of the team and now it's time to give something back."
| Pos. | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pascal Ackermann (Ger) UAE Team Emirates | 4:29:30 |
| 2 | Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) Arkea-Samsic | |
| 3 | Tim Merlier (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix | |
| 4 | Sam Welsford (Aus) Team DSM | |
| 5 | Gerben Thijssen (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux | |
| 6 | Timothy Dupont (Bel) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB | |
| 7 | Søren Wærenskjold (Nor) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | |
| 8 | Luca Mozzato (Ita) B&B Hotels-KTM | |
| 9 | Arnaud De Lie (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
| 10 | Bert Van Lerberghe (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team | |
| 11 | Piet Allegaert (Bel) Cofidis | |
| 12 | Colin Joyce (USA) Human Powered Health | |
| 13 | Pier Andre Cote (Can) Human Powered Health | |
| 14 | Lorrenzo Manzin (Fra) TotalEnergies | |
| 15 | Tord Gudmestad (Nor) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | |
| 16 | Rudy Barbier (Fra) Israel-Premier Tech | |
| 17 | Barnabás Peák (Hun) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux | |
| 18 | Ethan Vernon (GBr) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team | |
| 19 | Felix Groß (Ger) UAE Team Emirates | |
| 20 | Niklas Märkl (Ger) Team DSM | |
| 21 | Cyril Lemoine (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM | |
| 22 | Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Israel-Premier Tech | |
| 23 | Sasha Weemaes (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
| 24 | Gil D´Heygere (Bel) Minerva Cycling Team | |
| 25 | Thimo Willems (Bel) Minerva Cycling Team | |
| 26 | Arne Marit (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
| 27 | Dries De Bondt (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix | |
| 28 | Jon Aberasturi Izaga (Spa) Trek-Segafredo | |
| 29 | Sandy Dujardin (Fra) TotalEnergies | |
| 30 | Andreas Goeman (Bel) Tarteletto-Isorex | |
| 31 | Stanislaw Aniolkowski (Pol) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB | |
| 32 | Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
| 33 | Lennert Teugels (Bel) Tarteletto-Isorex | |
| 34 | Cedric Beullens (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
| 35 | Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkea-Samsic | |
| 36 | Jenthe Biermans (Bel) Israel-Premier Tech | |
| 37 | Rui Oliveira (Por) UAE Team Emirates | |
| 38 | Adrien Petit (Fra) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux | |
| 39 | Thomas Joseph (Bel) Minerva Cycling Team | |
| 40 | Enrico Zanoncello (Ita) Bardiani CSF Faizane' | |
| 41 | Lindsay De Vylder (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
| 42 | Tuur Dens (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
| 43 | Martin Laas (Est) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
| 44 | Maximilian Walscheid (Ger) Cofidis | |
| 45 | Mauro Schmid (Swi) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team | |
| 46 | Jonas Iversby Hvideberg (Nor) Team DSM | |
| 47 | Itamar Einhorn (Isr) Israel-Premier Tech | |
| 48 | Jannik Steimle (Ger) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team | |
| 49 | Gilles Borra (Bel) Minerva Cycling Team | |
| 50 | Benjamin Declercq (Bel) Arkea-Samsic | |
| 51 | Ceriel Desal (Bel) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB | |
| 52 | Patrick Gamper (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
| 53 | Shane Archbold (NZl) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
| 54 | Kristoffer Halvorsen (Nor) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | |
| 55 | Markus Pajur (Est) Arkea-Samsic | |
| 56 | Jens Debusschere (Bel) B&B Hotels-KTM | |
| 57 | Dayer Quintana (Col) Arkea-Samsic | |
| 58 | Boy van Poppel (Ned) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux | 0:00:12 |
| 59 | Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) UAE Team Emirates | |
| 60 | Dimitri Claeys (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux | 0:00:16 |
| 61 | Ward Vanhoof (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
| 62 | Jeremy Cabot (Fra) TotalEnergies | |
| 63 | Marco Frigo (Ita) Israel Cycling Academy | |
| 64 | Jeroen Eyskens (Bel) Tarteletto-Isorex | |
| 65 | Gage Hecht (USA) Human Powered Health | |
| 66 | Enrico Battaglin (Ita) Bardiani CSF Faizane' | |
| 67 | Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) UAE Team Emirates | |
| 68 | Iljo Keisse (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team | 0:00:19 |
| 69 | Sébastien Grignard (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
| 70 | Lionel Taminiaux (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix | |
| 71 | Michael Schwarzmann (Ger) Lotto Soudal | |
| 72 | Mathijs Paasschens (Ned) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB | |
| 73 | Karl Patrick Lauk (Est) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB | 0:00:21 |
| 74 | Rasmus Tiller (Nor) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | 0:00:22 |
| 75 | Christophe Noppe (Bel) Arkea-Samsic | 0:00:26 |
| 76 | Kasper Saver (Bel) Minerva Cycling Team | 0:00:33 |
| 77 | Taj Jones (Aus) Israel-Premier Tech | 0:00:34 |
| 78 | Anders Skaarseth (Nor) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | 0:00:36 |
| 79 | Nickolas Zukowsky (Can) Human Powered Health | 0:00:39 |
| 80 | Rüdiger Selig (Ger) Lotto Soudal | |
| 81 | Tom Devriendt (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux | 0:00:41 |
| 82 | Wesley Kreder (Ned) Cofidis | 0:00:47 |
| 83 | Stijn Steels (Bel) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team | 0:00:48 |
| 84 | Matthew Walls (GBr) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
| 85 | Thibau Verhofstadt (Bel) Tarteletto-Isorex | 0:00:57 |
| 86 | Leon Heinschke (Ger) Team DSM | 0:01:14 |
| 87 | Daan Hoole (Ned) Trek-Segafredo | |
| 88 | Jelle Wallays (Bel) Cofidis | 0:01:28 |
| 89 | Robbe Ghys (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | 0:02:19 |
| 90 | Lukas Pöstlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
| 91 | August Jensen (Nor) Human Powered Health | 0:02:23 |
| 92 | Dimitri Peyskens (Bel) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB | |
| 93 | Jacob Relaes (Bel) Tarteletto-Isorex | |
| 94 | Sander De Pestel (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise | |
| 95 | Niki Terpstra (Ned) TotalEnergies | 0:03:00 |
| 96 | Otto Vergaerde (Bel) Trek-Segafredo | |
| 97 | Scott Thwaites (GBr) Alpecin-Fenix | |
| 98 | Jakob Egholm (Den) Trek-Segafredo | |
| 99 | Morten Hulgaard (Den) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | |
| DSQ | Robin Carpenter (USA) Human Powered Health | |
| DNS | Jonas Koch (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
| DNS | Taco van der Hoorn (Ned) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux | |
| DNS | Cees Bol (Ned) Team DSM | |
| DNS | Dries Van Gestel (Bel) TotalEnergies | |
| DNF | Simon Dehairs (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix Development Team | |
| DNF | Alexander Krieger (Ger) Alpecin-Fenix | |
| DNF | Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix | |
| DNF | Alexys Brunel (Fra) UAE Team Emirates | |
| DNF | Finn Fisher-Black (NZl) UAE Team Emirates | |
| DNF | Antonio Puppio (Ita) Israel Cycling Academy | |
| DNF | Emils Liepins (Lat) Trek-Segafredo | |
| DNF | Marc Brustenga Masague (Spa) Trek-Segafredo | |
| DNF | Tom Bohli (Swi) Cofidis | |
| DNF | André Carvalho (Por) Cofidis | |
| DNF | Kenneth Vanbilsen (Bel) Cofidis | |
| DNF | Pepijn Reinderink (Ned) Development Team DSM | |
| DNF | Hannes Wilksch (Ger) Development Team DSM | |
| DNF | Michel Ries (Lux) Arkea-Samsic | |
| DNF | Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Uno-X Pro Cycling Team | |
| DNF | Raphael Parisella (Can) B&B Hotels-KTM | |
| DNF | Jérémy Lecroq (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM | |
| DNF | Julien Morice (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM | |
| DNF | Adrien Lagree (Fra) B&B Hotels-KTM | |
| DNF | Bas Tietema (Ned) Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB | |
| DNF | Johnatan Cañaveral Vargas (Col) Bardiani CSF Faizane' | |
| DNF | Luca Colnaghi (Ita) Bardiani CSF Faizane' | |
| DNF | Alessandro Santaromita Villa (Ita) Bardiani CSF Faizane' | |
| DNF | Samuele Zoccarato (Ita) Bardiani CSF Faizane' | |
| DNF | Kenneth Caethoven (Bel) Minerva Cycling Team | |
| DNF | Stefano Museeuw (Bel) Minerva Cycling Team | |
| DNF | Gianni Marchand (Bel) Tarteletto-Isorex | |
| DNF | Kobe Vanoverschelde (Bel) Tarteletto-Isorex |
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