Bos wins sprint in Middelkerke

Theo Bos (Belkin) won the bunch sprint during stage 3 at the Tour de l'Eurométropole in Middelkerke on Saturday. The Dutchman out-sprinted Belgium's Jens Debusschere (Lotto Belisol) and the overall race leader from France Arnaud Démare (FDJ.fr).

“Super cool, I’m very happy,” Bos said. “During the sprint, I felt I was at the top of my game. I saw two wheels approaching in the end but fortunately I was able to keep my lead.

“I really wanted to do well here. I worked hard to be good, which is, at the end of the season, tough mentally. That’s what makes me extra happy.”

Démare won the opening two stages and continues to lead the overall rankings into the finale stage 4 that will take the peloton on a 155km race from Mons to Tournai.

The day's stage started with a five-rider breakaway that was caught in the last 10km. Belkin provided Boss with a strong lead-out in the closing kilometres of the 174km race.

“Dennis van Winden and Graeme Brown supported me superbly," Boss said. "Dennis dropped me off at the front with one kilometre to go and Graeme put me in an excellent position. After the pack narrowed down to a long line, I was able to focus, wait and jump.

Boss spent four season at the WorldTour level with Rabobank and then Belkin. He signed with the MTN-Qhubeka team for 2015. “This is a nice farewell gift. We’re going to celebrate this with the team tonight.”

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