Alvaro Hodeg sprinted to his first pro win at Handzame Classic, giving Quick-Step Floors its 15th victory of the season.
The Belgian team controlled things from the outset in Bredene, keeping the ten escapees in constant check and making sure to reel them in as the peloton went into the business end of the 199.1km-long race, before setting up the young Colombian in the frantic finale which unfolded in Handzame.
The Quick-Step Floors sprint train delivered Hodeg – a stage winner at the 2017 Tour de l’Avenir – into an ideal position inside the last 200 metres of the race, from where the 21-year-old blasted past Kristoffer Halvorson (Team Sky) and Pascal Ackermann (Bora-hansgrohe) to take the win.
“It’s difficult to tell you how I’m feeling after this win,” said Hodeg. “It means the world to take my maiden pro victory with Quick-Step Floors, the team I have always dreamt of racing for. I always try to do my best and today it wasn’t any different.”
“The plan from the beginning of the race was to do the sprint for me and I’m grateful to the boys for their support, they were fantastic. I am super happy to get this success and can tell you I’ll continue to work hard in order to repay the team for their confidence.”
