Yasu Vervoort rounds off strong solo in the Men U17’s race
The Belgian Yasu Vervoort has won the Men U17’s Tour of Flanders. The young Limburg native rode to victory after an impressive 15-km solo. At the finish, he held a 20-second lead on Thibaut Van Damme and Lowie Baeck.
The Men U17 were presented with a race over 65 km, with five climbs and the same number of cobblestone stretches along the way. The 120-rider-strong peloton initially kept a low profile until Rias Lorie sneaked away 40 km from the finish. The young East Fleming built up a lead of a maximum of 30 seconds, but was caught by what remained of the peloton with 25 km to go.
In the run-up to the Jagerij, 15 km from the finish, it was Yasu Vervoort who attacked. Behind him, the cooperation in the peloton got off to a difficult start and, as a result, the lead grew quickly to more than half a minute. The Limburg native of Acrog-Tormans maintained a strong pace and did not allow it to drop in the closing stages.
The peloton was startled by a crash in the final kilometre, but it happened well behind Vervoort. He crossed the line as the winner in Oudenaarde. Thibaut Van Damme, the leader of the Top Competition, won the sprint of the depleted peloton 20 seconds later. Lowie Baeck took third place on the podium.
View the results here.
