Jenthe Biermans wins the Muscat Classic!
Jenthe Biermans claimed his first professional victory in the Muscat Classic, after a sprint in small groups. Our Belgian rookie opens the team’s counter in 2023.
Photo Getty Images
“It’s just incredible to get my first professional win! Two weeks ago I was on the podium for the first time in the pros in Valencia, today it’s my first success… The team believed in me. Everyone supported me, my teammates, the staff… and I am happy to have finished the job well to reward them. It was not necessarily the ideal scenario for me: it was rather quiet on the flat and very strong as soon as it went up. The pace was very hard to follow in the bumps. I gave it my all. On the last climb, Michel Ries was by my side to help me, but he dropped out about 100 meters from the top. He immediately took the radio and shouted “come on, come on, you can do it! Finally I show up in the last few kilometers for the win. In this kind of sprint, with a false flat climb, I know I can do well. My teammates were there to protect me, to put me in the first positions and I had to conclude. When I got out of position, I thought that maybe someone else would catch me and take second or third place. In the end, no, I managed to hold on and get this first victory”.
“Our initial plan was to rely on Jenthe today for the win. We knew that we could also count on Cristián to follow the best in the bumps if Jenthe could not pass. The team waited for the most strategic moments to reposition themselves. The work started on the flat with David and Andrii on the approach to the circuit and Michel and Nicolas on the climbs. Anthony took on the role of road captain, and incidentally today of pilot-fish in the final, which I had entrusted to him. Behind, Jenthe produced a magnificent sprint to win. We had recognized the final part of the race and that prevented us from making mistakes, from knowing how to approach the last kilometers”.