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Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) gained the elite males’s time trial title for the third time in his profession on the Belgian Highway Championships in Herzele.
Van Aert lined the 41.6km course with a profitable time of 51:52, beating runner-up Alec Segaert (Lotto Dstny) by 50 seconds and third-placed Rune Herregodts (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) by 1:06.
Whereas many anticipated a detailed race for the time trial title between Van Aert and defending champion Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), that battle didn’t occur because the Evenepoel crashed right into a roadside ditch however bought again up and completed fourth, 1:22 slower than Van Aert’s profitable time.
Solely 17 riders took the beginning line on Wednesday to race the 2 laps of the 20.8km flat and technical figure-eight course for the time trial on the Belgian Nationwide Championships in Herzele.
Every lap twisted by means of East Flanders with a relentless procession of small climbs totalling 355 metres of elevation achieve. At 41.6km, the time trial got here in because the longest race towards the clock in three years.
Van Aert didn’t take part within the time trial final yr because it didn’t match into his schedule.
Sander De Pestel (Staff Flanders-Baloise) set the bench-mark opening time beneath wet situations, a time that stood till the quicker riders started to cross the end line, which noticed De Pestel finally ending in ninth on the day.
Van Aert after which Evenepoel had been the 2 final riders off the beginning ramp because the overwhelming favourites.
Nonetheless, Evenepoel crashed within the opening kilometres of the 41.6km race by means of a righthand nook, sliding throughout the rain-soaked roads and touchdown in a shallow ditch along side the street.
In any other case unscathed by the autumn, Evenepoel bought up and continued racing, although he had misplaced an excessive amount of time to problem Van Aert for the title.
Van Aert crossed the primary time verify 58 seconds quicker than Evenepoel, however Evenepoel was capable of considerably recuperate and convey the hole between the 2 down significantly within the closing of the race, however may solely handle the fourth-fastest time.
Segaert ended his time trial with a powerful end result and a short spell within the sizzling seat till Van Aert completed 50 seconds quicker with a blistering time of set one of the best time of 51:52.
Outcomes
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