After a flat first part of the week, riders faced an undulating stage with 15 climbs. Due to illness Remco Evenepoel didn’t take the start. A group of three riders joined forces in the day’s long breakaway. After 24 kilometres Hugo Houle, Casper Pedersen and Jack Bauer took off, gathering a maximum lead of three minutes.
On the local circuit in Bilzen the peloton started breaking up. Edward Theuns, Victor Campenaerts and Jasper Stuyven launched the first attacks, but none of them managed to pull a gap.
At the bottom of the day’s last climb Pedersen and Bauer were caught by a thinned out peloton. That was the sign for Kasper Asgreen to attack, forcing the peloton to ride single file. However Asgreen fell behind soon after with mechanical issues, costing him valuable time in the standings.
Lotto-Soudal and Alpecin-Fenix pulled at the front to organise a bunch sprint in Bilzen. Sonny Colbrelli opened the sprint, but on a rising finish Ewan comfortably passed and beat the Italian champion. The Australian from Lotto-Soudal grabbed his first ever win in the Benelux Tour.
Küng is the new leader, taking over the jersey from a struggling Stefan Bissegger who got dropped in the final kilometres. Tim Merlier retains the Teamleader points lead, Arjen Livyns accumulated extra points at the first Super 8 Checkpoint to tighten his grip on the white jersey.
“I had a lot of confidence,” Ewan said. “I didn’t know how the legs were going to be after a long day, as a smaller sprinter I knew this finish would suit me.
“The team did a fantastic job. The last 50km there were a lot of attacks, but we controlled the final and caught the breakaway. With 2.5km to go [Tim] Wellens put me in a perfect position and then it was easy to stay at the front.”
When asked how important this Benelux Tour win is to a serial stage winner, Ewan said: “It’s very important. I’m riding for a Belgian team and we are racing in Belgium, so it’s very important. And today was the last chance for the sprinters, so that’s why the team worked so hard for it.
“It’s my first win in the Benelux Tour, which is great to have on my palmares.”
