Deceuninck-QuickStep win new-look Race Melbourne

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Deceuninck-QuickStep claimed victory in the Towards Zero Race Melbourne on Thursday, with the criterium event adopting a new team-based format in its third edition. 

Race Melbourne runs prior to the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, and QuickStep stated their intentions for Sunday as Elia Viviani helped them to victory by topping the individual sprint classification. 

The new format borrowed from the Hammer Series in staging intermediate sprints on certain laps of the Melbourne Grand Prix circuit, and using a points-based system to decide the winner. The riders covered 14 laps of the 5.3km motor racing circuit around Albert Park, with sprints on laps 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14. Points were on offer for the top eight riders across the line, extending to the top 10 on the final sprint.

Max Walscheid (Sunweb) beat Viviani to the line in the first sprint, but Deceuninck-QuickStep showed their strength in depth as Michael Morkov also picked up four points. Indeed, despite Viviani's presence, it was a team effort, with Dries Devenyns winning two of the sprints from breakaways and Morkov placing in all but two. The clincher came at the end of lap 12, in the penultimate sprint, where QuickStep came across the line with Devenyns, Morkov and Viviani in the top three positions.

Despite Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana) winning the enhanced prize in the final sprint to the line, the victory was already in the bag for QuickStep, who finished on 95 points, way out ahead of second-placed Jumbo-Visma, who scored 57 points through Thomas Leezer, Danny van Poppel, and George Bennett. Bora-Hansgrohe rounded out the podium with 40 points. 

Despite not winning a single sprint, Viviani placed in all but one, and his consistency was rewarded with victory in the individual sprint classification. He finished on 37 points, with Walscheid second on 31 and Devenyns third on 30. 

"It was about 40 degrees Celsius today and hard racing on the limit. We treated it like the Hammer Series, in that every time we had to sprint, we did it with two or three riders to take the team classification points," said Deceuninck-QuickStep directeur sportif Rik Van Slycke.

"The fight for the individual ranking was more intense, but Elia, helped by the guys, did a great job and secured the win in style. It was a big team effort today and a great example of the Wolfpack mentality. We now look with even more confidence to Sunday’s World Tour race."

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