Canadian Svein Tuft scored his team's first European victory of the season with a solo win in the GP Stad Zottegem. Tuft rode away from breakaway companions to cross the line 36 seconds ahead of second place finisher Willem Wauters (trainee for Vacansoleil-DCM), while Omega Pharma-Lotto's Adam Blythe won the sprint from the chasing group for third.
“The boys rode a perfect race today," Tuft said. "Everybody is starting to feel the form of those hard climbing French stage races. Early on we had Will [Routley], Zach [Bell] and myself in the break - and I knew it was going to be a good day.
“As the day wore on, I could see the riders starting to feel the fatigue and I knew it was time to go in the headwind section about 12k out. I knew once I had 30 seconds, I would be able to break the chase group. There were some technical sections that really suited me late in the race. I knew if I could get to the technical section, I could get out of sight and gain time,” Tuft said. “It was a very satisfying win and I'm really proud of the guys. We will be looking for another one tomorrow at Overjise.”
