Dutch champion Niki Terpstra took his first victory of the season today with a solo win after an epic day in the saddle at le Samyn.
The 190 riders who lined up at the start in Quaregnon faced heavy rain and strong winds, and this resulted in many abandons.
Adding to the difficulty were several climbs and 16 sectors of pave and this war of attrition gradually reduced the number of riders in contention for the win. Despite a number of attacks, with 30 kilometres remaining, the lead group still contained about 15 riders.
Terpstra proved himself the strongest as he reduced the numbers in the group inside the final 20 kilometres with a couple of big accelerations.
The Dutchman went clear on his own and despite a valiant chase by Scott Thwaites (Bora-Argon 18), Terpstra held on to win on his own, which is his first victory since he won the general classification at the Tour de Wallonie last July.
