Development Liam Van Bylen kicks off the Ronde van Vlaams-Brabant with a win

With seven passes over the Smeysberg and temperatures around 30 degrees, the Ronde van Vlaams-Brabant kicked off with a bang. Milan De Ceuster was part of the early breakaway of the day, attacking right at the start of the race. "After four laps, Joshua (Giddings, ed.) and I joined the leading group," says Liam Van Bylen. "And then Milan broke away again, going solo for 60 kilometers. We were sitting comfortably behind. I managed to slip away with a group of four that attacked from our chasing peloton, but it wasn’t my job to do much work."

Unfortunately, leader De Ceuster suffered from cramps and was caught by the five chasers. "I knew the final had a downhill approach and only a slight uphill at the end. I live in this area, I train here, and I know the region inside out. I knew I shouldn’t come to the front too early, and in the end, I launched my sprint with 100 meters to go."

With success, as Van Bylen won the first stage of the Ronde van Vlaams-Brabant and will start tomorrow in the yellow leader’s jersey. "I hope to keep it tomorrow and the day after. After that, there’s a time trial. I haven’t done one yet this year, so it’s hard to predict how it will go. But I’m happy to wear the jersey for now."