Louis Vervaeke opened his 13th pro season with a top ten.
Friday afternoon brought our team’s first outing of the season in Europe, where we lined up for the second edition of Classica Camp de Morvedre, a 163.4km one-day race that came with three classified climbs and no meter of flat.
Soudal Quick-Step was prominent once again and animated things with Gil Gelders and Jonathan Vervenne, who launched a big attack on a downhill section with more than 50 kilometers to go. This cunning move saw the Belgian duo open a gap on the field and join the day’s original breakaway, where they remained until the slopes of the penultimate climb.
It didn’t come as a surprise that the race exploded there, leaving several groups scattered all over the road, as some riders were trying to forge a gap, while others chased hard in order not to lose contact. Both Henrique Bravo and Louis Vervaeke showed good legs by making the jump and joining the most important chasing group – where they put in a strong effort – which went on to conclude the race around one minute behind winner Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana).
The Belgian, our squad’s most experienced rider for Morvedre, finished ninth in Estivella, from where he will now travel to the Gran Premio Castellon, another Spanish one-day race, scheduled on Saturday.
Photo credit: ©Wout Beel
