Tour des Flanders. Hugo Houle makes it in breakaway, winning Gp Stig Broeckx

08:22, 8 April 2019

NUR-SULTAN. KAZINFORM In today's Tour of Flanders, Hugo Houle showed himself in the early breakaway during a hard race for the riders of Astana Pro Team. As Houle was the first rider atop of the Oude Kwaremont climb, he won the inaugural GP Stig Broeckx. He donated the prize money to the rehabilitation center where Broeckx is recovering from his crash in 2016. Today's early breakaway of four riders, including Houle, got caught before today's final. In the end, the first rider of Astana to cross the finish line was Laurens de Vreese in one of the groups behind winner Alberto Bettiol, Kazinform learnt from the official website of Astana Pro Team.

"It was our goal to get in the breakaway today, to try something with Magnus Cort or Davide Ballerini in today's final. I felt good and I was happy to be in the break today, as it's a special race. It was my second time in the leading group at the Tour of Flanders, and again I enjoyed it. I'm delighted that I could win the GP Stig Broeckx, it feels good to support a colleague in this way. I donate the 5000 euros to the rehabilitation center where Stig is working on his recovery, I wish him all the best," said Hugo Houle.

"Our plan was to get someone in the breakaway, so the team did a good job there and especially Hugo Houle who was there and took the GP Stig Broeckx atop of Oude Kwaremont. After the break was caught it looked good for a moment, with Magnus Cort, Davide Ballerini and Hugo Houle in the first group. Magnus attacked at the Muur of Geraardsbergen, but after this moment our guys were empty and couldn't catch up with today's favorites. In the end we had Laurens de Vreese with a solid performance, finishing in the third group behind today's winner," said sports director Lars Michaelsen.

XDS Astana Team Sport