Jasper Philipsen wins Omloop van het Houtland

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) outsprinted Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Soudal) to win Omloop van het Houtland on Wednesday. Dylan Groenewegen (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) rolled across the line in third.

Alpecin-Deceuninck worked at the front of the peloton with Bora-Hansgrohe and Intermarché across the final 20km to reel back the leaders and position Philipsen for an eighth victory of the season. 

Once on the finishing circuit with 15km to go, there was a 27-second gap for the breakaway: Iver Skaarseth (Uno-X), Tom Sexton (Bolton Equities Black Spoke), Warre Vangheluwe (Team Elevate p/b Home Solution Soenens), Gianni Marchand (Tarteletto-Isorex), Jens Reynders and Aaron Verwilst (Sport Flanders-Baloise) and Samuel Leroux and Tom Mainguenaud (Go Sport - Roubaix Lille Métropole). Among that group, Vangheluwe, Verwilst and Sexton made the catch of the original break of five with under 30km to go.

The break dissolved on the final pass in Lichtervelde with 2km to go and the big sprinters took aim at the finish after the final corner with 800 metres to go. De Lie accelerated at the front early and Philipsen then moved from off his wheel to take the win.

“For a long time I thought I got it, but then Philipsen beat me on the line. Maybe I went a bit too early, but I am here on the podium between two stage winners in the Tour de France. I think I can be satisfied,” De Lie admitted at the finish.

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