A strong showing at Heistse Pijl on Saturday, where the team took second place with Casper van Uden, racing in Belgium continued on Sunday with the Brussels Cycling Classic. Taking on a 218 kilometre long parcours that featured two passages of the famous cobbled Muur-Kapelmuur the pace ramped up throughout the afternoon, before the peloton then exploded on that second ascent with Pavel Bittner and Van Uden making it into the first split of around 35 riders.
From there, the duo kept tabs on several attacks but with the chasing peloton holding the gap at around 30 seconds it meant the pace remained high for the rest of the day. Coming over the last climb at 15 kilometres to go there were multiple attacks in the group and a duo then got away, from which the race winner Abrahamsen ultimately made his move. Behind in the chasing group, Bittner kept Van Uden safe and moved up into position for the sprint. It was hectic and chaotic in the gallop for the rest of the podium on the uphill kick to the line, with Van Uden finding himself not able to fully open up his effort and eventually taking 12th in the race.
After the race Van Uden said: “The goal for us today was to get into the deep with a few riders in the front group, so we could play our cards. It was pretty full gas racing though from the first time over the climbs, and then on the second ascent of the Muur the peloton split fully. Pavel and I then made it into the front group and I think we rode a solid race, following attacks. Pavel then brought me forward in the last kilometre but in the sprint I made a little mistake and that cost us some places in the final results.”
