Caleb Ewan wins GP de Fourmies amid crash-marred finish

Caleb Ewan took a decisive print victory in Fourmies today, in a mass sprint ahead of Dylan Groenewegen and Amaury Capiot following a crash within the final kilometres which eliminated some of the sprint contenders.

Lotto controlled the lead-out, and Groenewegen was the first to initiate the sprint within the final few hundred metres. Ewan was tight on the Dutch sprinter’s wheel, though, and overtook him ahead of the line.

The crash in the final kilometres meant that Fabio Jakobsen (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl) was amongst the sprinters who could not contend the final sprint, though teammate Yves Lampaert did contend the sprint - finishing in 6th place.

“It’s no secret that we’re in the hunt for points at the moment,’ Ewan said following the stage. “I’m happy that I could get some points for the team and it goes some way toward us staying in the WorldTour.”

The race carried 200 UCI points, which will be critical amid the relegation battle that approaches at the end of this season.

Speaking about the final run-in to the finish, Ewan credited his team for the strong leadout. “Jasper had to go on the front super early, and he did a great job using the other guys, and in the end he delivered me perfectly with 200m,” he said.

“So thanks to him and the whole team.”

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