Rabobank controls the Dutch semi-classic and former track World champion wins with ease
Theo Bos (Rabobank) took his fifth victory of the year, and the second this month, at the head of a bunch sprint to take the Dutch Food Valley Classic in Veenendaal, Netherlands. The former track-sprinter beat Wim Stroetinga (Netherlands National Selection) and Stefan Van Dijk (Verandas Willems-Accent) into second and third; crossing the line several lengths clear at the end of the 202km Dutch semi-classic.
“The team shielded me from the wind today for the entire race and set me up perfectly for the final sprint,” said Bos on Rabosport.nl. “It couldn’t have been better.
“At first I didn’t feel good, but later I found more energy and felt better,” he explained. “When we had three men in the leading group, we could do nothing, but then, when Sébastien [Langeveld] and Maarten [Tjallingii] were dropped, we went riding. At that moment I felt better and I told the rest of the team. I followed all day long, protected from the wind and was sat in an ideal position.
Almost immediately after the race began a group of fifteen riders got away. The escape was made up of Adam Blythe (Omega Pharma Lotto), Niki Terpstra (Quick Step), Langeveld, Tjallingii and Jos van Emden (all Rabobank), Wouter Mol and Alberto Ongarato (both Vacansoleil-DCM), Eric Baumann (Team NetApp), Kris Boeckmans and Pieter Jacobs (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator), Stefan van Dijk (Veranda's Willems), Jarno Gmelich Meijling (Cycling Team Jo Piels), Wilfried Cretskens and Kurt Hovelijnck (Donckers), and Havard Blikra (Sparenbanken Vest-Ridley).
Rabobank seemed to be sitting pretty with three in the break but, after Langeveld crashed and Tjallingii punctured, Van Emden was alone and the ProTeam took it upon itself to control the peloton. The gap was allowed to grow to a maximum of four minutes, but it was all over with 160 of the 202km covered.
In the remaining 40km there were several attempts to get away from individual riders but the sprinters’ teams – and Rabobank in particular – were in full control and the peloton was all together as it approached the finish. Graeme Brown led Bos into the final 300 metres, whereupon the Dutchman opened up his sprint; while the majority of the peloton’s top sprinters were lining up at the Vuelta a España, which started the next day, Bos outclassed his mainly Dutch rivals to win by several lengths.
In tenth place was Belgian track star Iljo Keisse (Quick Step) returning to racing after the expiration of his international suspension. Because of the complicated and drawn out legal processes, which saw the rider from Gent compete in Belgain races for a few months, Keisse remains banned in his home country until near the end of January next year.
Result Dutch Food Valley Classic
1. Theo Bos (Ned) Rabobank
2. Wim Stroetinga (Ned) Netherlands National Selection
3. Stefan Van Dijk (Ned) Verandas Willems-Accent
4. Yoeri Havik (Ned) Cycling Team De Rijke
5. Michael Van Staeyen (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator
6. Kenny Dehaes (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto
7. Roy Hegreberg (Nor) Sparebanken Vest-Ridley
8. Remco Te Brake (Ned) Cycling Team De Rijke
9. James Vanlandschoot (Bel) Verandas Willems-Accent
10. Iljo Keisse (Bel) Quick Step