Laurens Sweeck (Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal) took a solo victory at the Maldegem Ethias Cross on Saturday. It was a 1-2 success for his team as Eli Iserbyt took second place ahead of Lars van der Haar (Baloise Trek Lions) in third.
An early-race mishap over the barriers saw van der Haar struggle to gain back lost time to the front group. Sweeck and Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal teammate Michael Vanthourenhout went on to take the race lead, and pushed their lead out further to create a gap over their rivals behind.
Further back, Iserbyt and Toon Vandebosch, also Pauwels Sauzen-Bingoal, were part of a chase that included van der Haar and Felipe Orts (Spain).
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Initiated by the 2024 Olympics, the circuit featuring the cobbled climb of Butte Montmartre returns for the second consecutive year to close out the Tour de France in Paris
