Nearly a decade on from his only individual victory as a professional, Manuel Quinziato (BMC) returned to the scene of that triumph and made it two on the final stage of the Eneco Tour on Sunday. Meanwhile Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal) didn’t take as long to double up as he crossed the line safely in the bunch to secure a second overall victory in two years.
Quinziato won a stage in the 2006 edition of the race and here on the hilly and cobbled terrain of Flanders, he attacked from a leading trio on the penultimate climb and managed to hold on to the finish line halfway up the Muur van Geraardsbergen.
Bjorn Leukemans (Wanty Groupe Gobert) and Yves Lampaert (Etixx-QuickStep) came home second and third respectively having had no reply to the Italian’s attack on the 700-metre long Denderoordberg, which has an average gradient of eight per cent. Quinziato knew he couldn’t leave it until the final climb and after stretching out his lead on the flat run in to Geraardsbergen he faded on the Muur to make it a nerve-wracking conclusion.
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“I looked back with 500 metres to go and saw they were coming, and I thought either you win, or you die. And I won so I’m happy,” said a delighted Quinziato.
“I wasn’t supposed to be in the break but it was a really fast start. I was happy to end up in the break, there were 14 guys but we didn’t really believe could make it. I like the parcours, I was fourth two years ago here, I saw on the first [ascent of the] Muur I was feeling good, better than the other guys. Then I was with two strong guys, Leukemans and Lampaert.
“I’m 35, I’ve not won so many races, it doesn’t happen that often to feel good at the front of the break, so I thought no mistake, no regrets. I did exactly as I planned to do. I made a gap and the guys behind disappeared. I was flat out, thinking ‘don’t look back! Don’t look back!”
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