ProTeam Vermeersch second after strong sprint at Boucles de l’Aulne

Florian Vermeersch has finished at the end of the Boucles de l’Aulne (UCI 1.1), after an exciting uphill sprint in Châteaulin. On the finish suited to puncheurs, the 24-year-old Belgian was only beaten by his compatriot Greg Van Avermaet after Lotto Dstny put in a strong ride.

The bunch had to pull out all the stops in the final of the Boucles de l’Aulne, part of the Coupe de France, to catch the two breakaway riders, which eventually succeeded in the final of eight local laps in Châteaulin. In the very final, Lotto Dstny went all out towards the tough last kilometre. It was Van Avermaet with the strongest punch as he took the victory just in front of Florian Vermeersch, who had to settle for second after a strong sprint.

Vermeersch is thankful towards his teammates after a collective performance: “We rode an attentive race today and when it became clear it would be a sprint at the very end, the boys went all out to do the best lead-out possible. It was amazing to see that my teammates did such a great job for me and I would have liked to reward them with a victory. Unfortunately, I just missed the win and had to settle for second after a strong Van Avermaet but this definitely is a result I can be satisfied with. It gives me confidence going into the next races.”

Image: DR LNC/Bruno Bade.