Famenne Ardenne Classic: 1-2 for XDS Astana as Max Kanter sprints to victory ahead of teammate Cees Bol

Max Kanter (XDS Astana) was the fastest in the bunch sprint to win the Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic on Sunday. It was 1-2 for XDS Astana as the German sprinter crossed the line just ahead of his teammate Cees Bol, while Arne Marit (Intermarché-Wanty) settled for third place in Marche-en-Famenne.

"It was definitely our day today! We had a super strong line-up with very fast and powerful guys, all ready to fight for the best result. Many teams tried to attack and shake things up in the final, but our riders did an amazing job with positioning; Ale (Romele), Mike (Teunissen), Gleb (Syritsa), and Cees (Bol) were incredible in the finale. They really did a great job," Kanter said.

"Honestly, I think Cees deserved the win today, because he was super strong. The results we've achieved this week are really satisfying for all of us, and I believe they motivate each of us to keep performing at our best. Now I'll take a few days of rest, and then I’m heading to the Giro."

Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic offered the field a 186.7km race in and around Marche-en-Famenne. The race tackled one larger loop, followed by shorter hilly circuits that included a 3.4km climb over Côte de Roy each lap. 

The early breakaway included Baptiste Vadic (TotalEnergies), Axel Huens (Unibet Tietema Rockets), Victor Vercouillie (Flanders-Baloise), Luke Tuckwell (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe Rookies), Ewout De Keyser (Tarteletto-Isorex), Stijn Appel and Robbe Mellaerts (BEAT Cycling Club) and Jasper Haest (VolkerWessels Cycling).

The breakaway only ever gained two minutes on the field, led by Alpecin-Deceuninck and Intermarche-Wanty, that slashed their lead to just 45 seconds as the race entered the final 50km.

The eight riders were ultimately reeled in just outside of 30km from the finish line, and while several new attacks ensued, especially over the Côte de Roy on the last lap, the peloton was all together on the run-in to the final.

Teams XDS Astana, Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe Rookies, Unibet Tietema Rockets, and Israel-Premier Tech lined up their riders in the closing kilometre, but it was Kanter who was fastest to the line to take the day's win.

Results

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