Technical problems hindered Moreno Hofland during the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The Team LottoNL-Jumbo rider struggled with a derailed chain and abandoed the race. The race exploded on the Taaienberg, which gave Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing Team) the chance to win.

The key moment in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the opening race of the spring classics, was on the Taaienberg with around 55 kilometres to go. Team LottoNL-Jumbo wasn’t good enough to be part of the breakaway in that moment.

“Everyone knows that you have to be in front at that point,” siad Mike Teunissen, who debuted in the race. “We were around the 20th spot in the group. The first four or five riders were able to escape, so even the 10th spot wasn’t good enough. Sometimes, you get the chance to catch up, but with the Taaienberg, you don’t. They’re gone with the blink of an eye.”

Nico Verhoeven was counting on a second chance for Team LottoNL-Jumbo. “They broke away already earlier and they normally don’t make it until the end,” the sports director added. “You know that the race takes shape at that point, so you have to be part of the move. We weren’t good enough to follow the best six or seven riders in the race today. We had three of our men in the chasing group afterwards and tried to come back.”

Hofland unlucky

In the final part of the race, Moreno Hofland lost contact with the chasing group. “My chain was skipping,” he explained. “First, I decided to keep on riding, but I just wasn’t able to any more. I had to stay in my saddle, so I wasn’t able to accelerate any more. I stopped to change bikes in the end. I gave it all to get back, but there wasn’t anyone in front of me. That was that. I was in a good position for a long time and I felt that I was going to hold that position, but I was unlucky.”

The chasing group came very close to the leaders. “I had some cramps in the end of the race and Tom Van Asbroeck said that he was feeling good,” Teunissen said. “From that moment, I started to participate in the chase. We came very close, but there wasn't a moment of doubt in the leading group and we just took a little too long to organise our group.”