MARK CAVENDISH DOMINATES SPRINT AS EVENEPOEL MAKES A COMEBACK

Baloise Belgium Tour 2021 - 91st Edition - Mark Cavendish (GBR - Deceuninck - Quick-Step)

Rising Belgian star Remco Evenepoel bounced back from his disappointing major tour debut to win the Baloise Belgium Tour on Sunday as Mark Cavendish sprinted to victory in the fifth and final stage. Cavendish overtook in-form Belgian Tim Merlier in a back-and-forth final sprint with German Pascal Ackerman third, to claim a 151st career victory. Both Cavendish, a 36-year-old Manxman, and the 21-year-old Evenepoel ride for Belgian team Deceuninck.

Local teams and riders has a good week. The mass finish in Beringen left the top three places in the overall classification unchanged, with an entirely Belgian podium. Evenepoel finished 46 seconds ahead of his Deceuninck Quick Step teammate, Yves Lampaert, with Gianni Marchand, who rides for Belgian team Tarteletto-Isorex, third.

Evenepoel was seriously injured in a crash at the Giro di Lombardia on August 15, 2020, and only made his return to competition for the Giro d’Italia, dropping out after the 17th stage.

“After my comeback and my long, long rehabilitation, hard training and a lot of setbacks as well, it feels amazing,” Evenepoel said. “It shows I’m on the right track to return to my top level.”

He said he plans to compete in Belgian time trial and road race championships, train, “maybe in Spain”, and then head to Japan for the Olympics.

Mark Cavendish (GBR – Deceuninck – Quick-Step) – Dylan Groenewegen (NED – Jumbo – Visma) – Pascal Ackermann (GER – Bora – Hansgrohe)

STAGE RESULTS

1	CAVENDISH Mark	Deceuninck – Quick Step	3:50:31
2	MERLIER Tim	Alpecin-Fenix	0:00
3	ACKERMANN Pascal	BORA – hansgrohe	0:00
4	GROENEWEGEN Dylan	Team Jumbo-Visma	0:00
5	BOUHANNI Nacer	Team Arkéa Samsic	0:00
6	COQUARD Bryan	B&B Hotels p/b KTM	0:00
7	WEEMAES Sasha	Sport Vlaanderen – Baloise	0:00
8	BONIFAZIO Niccolò	Team Total Direct Energie	0:00
9	EWAN Caleb	Lotto Soudal	0:00
10	VAN POPPEL Danny	Intermarché – Wanty – Gobert Matériaux	0:00

OVERALL RESULTS

1	EVENEPOEL Remco	Deceuninck – Quick Step	15:41:59
2	LAMPAERT Yves	Deceuninck – Quick Step	0:46
3	MARCHAND Gianni	Tarteletto – Isorex	0:56
4	FISHER-BLACK Finn	Team Jumbo-Visma	1:04
5	SCHELLING Ide	BORA – hansgrohe	1:08
6	BOUWMAN Koen	Team Jumbo-Visma	1:08
7	SWIFT Connor	Team Arkéa Samsic	1:12
8	RIESEBEEK Oscar	Alpecin-Fenix	1:13
9	AERTS Toon	Baloise – Trek Lions	1:13
10	DE BUYST Jasper	Lotto Soudal	1:18

Remco Evenepoel (BEL – Deceuninck – Quick-Step) – Yves Lampaert (BEL – Deceuninck – Quick-Step) – Gianni Marchand (BEL – Tarteletto – Isorex)

RBA/AFP Photos: Bettini