Development Mauro Cuylits opens West Bohemia Tour with a victory

The Lotto Development Team and the West Bohemia Tour seem to be a perfect match. Mauro Cuylits kicked off the four-day stage race in the Czech Republic with a solid victory in the prologue. Just last year, Victor Vaneeckhoutte took a stage win and the overall victory here, so the team hopes to carry that same momentum forward.

“I was the only one in the peloton who left my Garmin on the bus,” laughs Mauro Cuylits. “I think that made the difference. I just raced on feeling, and maybe it paid off.”

The team reconned the 3.7-kilometer prologue yesterday, and already then Cuylits felt confident. “I thought, let’s just push through, and it turned out to be my best eight-minute power ever. That’s when I knew I was in good shape, but I never imagined I’d be able to win the prologue against these other guys. On top of that, it’s great to see Milan (De Ceuster) and Victor (Vaneeckhoutte) also finishing in the top ten (they placed sixth and tenth, respectively). I’m curious to see what the rest of the week will bring.”

Picture: West Bohemia Tour