Eneco: Terpstra nabs overall win in thrilling final stage

Sep 25, 2016

Etixx – Quick-Step’s Niki Terpstra snatched the overall title at the Eneco Tour after he and two other escapees left the field behind deep in spring classics territory, with overnight leader Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing) crashing out of the event on rain-slicked Belgian roads.

Terpstra, Dimension Data’s Edvald Boasson Hagen, and IAM Cycling’s Oliver Naesen held off a high-octane chase in a challenging finale that included several familiar climbs from the Tour of Flanders, and Boasson Hagen proved by far the fastest of the three in the battle for stage victory.

With the rest of pack only just beginning to arrive in small groups 41 seconds after Terpstra hit the line — and Dennis out of the picture — the Dutch former Paris-Roubaix winner emerged as the overall race victor.

Top 10, stage 7

1. Edvald BOASSON HAGEN, TEAM DIMENSION DATA, in 4:33:36
2. Niki TERPSTRA, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at :01
3. Oliver NAESEN, IAM CYCLING, at :01
4. Tom DUMOULIN, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at :42
5. Greg VAN AVERMAET, BMC RACING TEAM, at :42
6. Peter SAGAN, TINKOFF, at :46
7. Wilco KELDERMAN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :46
8. Jos VAN EMDEN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :48
9. Jon IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at :48
10. Dmitriy GRUZDEV, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at :48

Top 10 overall

1. Niki TERPSTRA, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, in 22:43:26
2. Oliver NAESEN, IAM CYCLING, at :31
3. Peter SAGAN, TINKOFF, at 1:00
4. Greg VAN AVERMAET, BMC RACING TEAM, at 1:02
5. Jos VAN EMDEN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 1:03
6. Wilco KELDERMAN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 1:11
7. Zdenek STYBAR, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:15
8. Jon IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:19
9. Tom DUMOULIN, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 1:22
10. Bob JUNGELS, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:31

The 197.8-kilometer stage from Bornem to Geraardsbergen kicked off under cloudy skies with an hour and a half of high-speed racing before nine riders escaped the peloton to form the day’s main breakaway, with two-time defending overall Eneco Tour champ Tim Wellens (Lotto – Soudal) in among the group. The breakers worked up an advantage of nearly three minutes but the gap fell quickly when a succession of attacks both up front and in the pack blew the race apart just inside the final 50km.

As cloudy skies turned to heavy rain, Terpstra, Boasson Hagen, and Naesen found themselves in a new lead group of nine with Terpstra’s Etixx teammate Bob Jungels setting the tempo. Dennis, Tinkoff’s Peter Sagan, and several other top contenders caught behind.

A touch of wheels then saw race leader Dennis hit the deck, and despite his best efforts to rejoin the chase, the Australian was unable to make up the lost ground, ultimately abandoning the Eneco Tour. With second-placed Taylor Phinney well behind the main chase group, what began as a promising final day for BMC became an uphill struggle to even land on the GC podium.

Meanwhile, tense racing saw the lead group dwindle to just three riders out front. With the GC podium in mind, Terpstra and Naesen pushed the pace in the closing kilometers as Boasson Hagen prepared for the battle to the finish line halfway up the legendary Muur van Geraardsbergen climb.

After nearly 200 kilometers on undulating Flemish terrain, Boasson Hagen was the clear winner in the high-speed finale, crossing the line a full two seconds ahead of his escape companions.

“I came to Eneco with the goal of possibly winning a stage and the overall but the overall didn’t go to plan. So I was really motivated to win today’s stage,” said Boasson Hagen, who earned a few much-needed points for Dimension Data with the victory. “I knew Terpstra would be going for the overall so I tried to ride clever, using that to my advantage, but Naesen was there and he was very strong. In the final I tried save all I could for the last 200 meters. I am happy it was enough to win the stage.”

Though he started the day in fifth, Terpstra had collected enough time with the hefty finishing gap and a generous helping of bonus seconds to surge to the top of the leaderboard. He took the overall win by 31 seconds, with Naesan jumping into second overall in the final general classification.

“I’m extremely happy and proud to finish off this great job of the team, who was incredible today! The Muur van Geraardsbergen has a special place in cycling and it means a lot for me to seal the overall victory here,” said Terpstra. “We were aware of the fact that we had several cards to play in the general classification at the start of the day and we were keen to make use of these numbers.

Peter Sagan closed out the race in third, fending off BMC’s Greg Van Avermaet by two seconds for the final spot on the podium.

Sunday’s stage marked the end of the final stage race on the 2016 WorldTour, with only Il Lombardia left on the sport’s top-level calendar.

Stage 7 results

1. Edvald BOASSON HAGEN, TEAM DIMENSION DATA, in 4:33:36
2. Niki TERPSTRA, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at :01
3. Oliver NAESEN, IAM CYCLING, at :01
4. Tom DUMOULIN, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at :42
5. Greg VAN AVERMAET, BMC RACING TEAM, at :42
6. Peter SAGAN, TINKOFF, at :46
7. Wilco KELDERMAN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :46
8. Jos VAN EMDEN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at :48
9. Jon IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at :48
10. Dmitriy GRUZDEV, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at :48
11. Marco MARCATO, WANTY – GROUPE GOBERT, at :48
12. Pieter WEENING, ROOMPOT – ORANJE PELOTON, at :48
13. Zdenek STYBAR, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at :48
14. Christopher JUUL JENSEN, ORICA-BIKEEXCHANGE, at :58
15. Jens DEBUSSCHERE, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:04
16. John DEGENKOLB, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 1:04
17. Gorka IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:04
18. Jasha SÜTTERLIN, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:10
19. Bob JUNGELS, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:10
20. André GREIPEL, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:35
21. Alexander KRISTOFF, TEAM KATUSHA, at 1:46
22. Jasper STUYVEN, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 1:46
23. Arnaud DEMARE, FDJ, at 1:49
24. Tiesj BENOOT, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:50
25. Luka MEZGEC, ORICA-BIKEEXCHANGE, at 1:50
26. Frederik BACKAERT, WANTY – GROUPE GOBERT, at 1:50
27. Jonas RICKAERT, TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE, at 1:50
28. Tony MARTIN, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:50
29. Reto HOLLENSTEIN, IAM CYCLING, at 1:50
30. Danny VAN POPPEL, TEAM SKY, at 1:50
31. Mario Jorge FARIA DA COSTA, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 1:50
32. Yoann OFFREDO, FDJ, at 1:50
33. Taylor PHINNEY, BMC RACING TEAM, at 1:50
34. Aimé DEGENDT, TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE, at 1:50
35. Lars Ytting BAK, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 1:50
36. Gediminas BAGDONAS, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 1:57
37. Andriy GRIVKO, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 1:59
38. Primož ROGLIC, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 1:59
39. Marco HALLER, TEAM KATUSHA, at 2:03
40. Imanol ERVITI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 2:03
41. Fabio FELLINE, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 2:05
42. Dylan GROENEWEGEN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 2:08
43. Yukiya ARASHIRO, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 2:08
44. Berden DE VRIES, ROOMPOT – ORANJE PELOTON, at 2:08
45. Dries DEVENYNS, IAM CYCLING, at 2:23
46. Geraint THOMAS, TEAM SKY, at 2:23
47. Ben SWIFT, TEAM SKY, at 2:23
48. Nils POLITT, TEAM KATUSHA, at 3:45
49. Amaury CAPIOT, TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE, at 3:56
50. Francisco José VENTOSO ALBERDI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 7:01
51. Christophe LAPORTE, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 7:01
52. Giacomo NIZZOLO, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 7:01
53. Roy JANS, WANTY – GROUPE GOBERT, at 7:01
54. Patrick GRETSCH, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 7:01
55. Manuel QUINZIATO, BMC RACING TEAM, at 7:01
56. Søren Kragh ANDERSEN, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 7:01
57. Alexander PORSEV, TEAM KATUSHA, at 7:01
58. Luka PIBERNIK, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 7:01
59. Benoît VAUGRENARD, FDJ, at 7:01
60. Timo ROOSEN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 7:01
61. Nick VAN DER LIJKE, ROOMPOT – ORANJE PELOTON, at 7:01
62. Frederik FRISON, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 7:01
63. Roberto FERRARI, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 7:01
64. Iljo KEISSE, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 7:01
65. Boy VAN POPPEL, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 7:01
66. Sebastian LANGEVELD, CANNONDALE-DRAPAC PRO CYCLING TEAM, at 7:01
67. Jonas VANGENECHTEN, IAM CYCLING, at 7:01
68. Michael MORKOV, TEAM KATUSHA, at 7:01
69. Hugo HOULE, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 7:01
70. Jurgen ROELANDTS, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 7:01
71. Alexey LUTSENKO, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 7:14
72. Cyril LEMOINE, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 9:46
73. Laurens DE VREESE, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 9:55
74. Bert VAN LERBERGHE, TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE, at 9:55
75. Mark MCNALLY, WANTY – GROUPE GOBERT, at 9:55
76. Nico DENZ, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 9:55
77. Brian VAN GOETHEM, ROOMPOT – ORANJE PELOTON, at 9:55
78. Tom BOHLI, BMC RACING TEAM, at 10:11
79. Stefan KUENG, BMC RACING TEAM, at 10:11
80. Ruslan TLEUBAYEV, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 12:46
81. Dries VAN GESTEL, TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE, at 12:46
82. Stijn DEVOLDER, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 12:46
83. Carlos VERONA QUINTANILLA, ORICA-BIKEEXCHANGE, at 12:46
84. Simone ANTONINI, WANTY – GROUPE GOBERT, at 12:46
DNF Borut BOZIC, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS
DNF Hugo Hofstetter, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS
DNF Geoffrey SOUPE, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS
DNF Anthony TURGIS, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS
DNF Michael VAN STAEYEN, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS
DNF Gijs VAN HOECKE, TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE
DNF Stijn STEELS, TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE
DNF Pieter VANSPEYBROUCK, TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE
DNF Jesper ASSELMAN, ROOMPOT – ORANJE PELOTON
DNF Roger KLUGE, IAM CYCLING
DNF Marc SARREAU, FDJ
DNF William BONNET, FDJ
DNF Winner ANACONA GOMEZ, MOVISTAR TEAM
DNF Nelson Filipe SANTOS SIMOES OLIVEIRA, MOVISTAR TEAM
DNF Alex DOWSETT, MOVISTAR TEAM
DNF Alexis GOUGEARD, AG2R LA MONDIALE
DNF Julien BERARD, AG2R LA MONDIALE
DNF Christophe RIBLON, AG2R LA MONDIALE
DNF Ben GASTAUER, AG2R LA MONDIALE
DNF Matthias BRANDLE, IAM CYCLING
DNF Daniel HOELGAARD, FDJ
DNF Ignatas KONOVALOVAS, FDJ
DNF Olivier LE GAC, FDJ
DNF Lars BOOM, ASTANA PRO TEAM
DNF Gatis SMUKULIS, ASTANA PRO TEAM
DNF Andrea GUARDINI, ASTANA PRO TEAM
DNF Jay Robert THOMSON, TEAM DIMENSION DATA
DNF Sacha MODOLO, LAMPRE – MERIDA
DNF Matteo BONO, LAMPRE – MERIDA
DNF Davide CIMOLAI, LAMPRE – MERIDA
DNF Tyler FARRAR, TEAM DIMENSION DATA
DNF Nathan HAAS, TEAM DIMENSION DATA
DNF Youcef REGUIGUI, TEAM DIMENSION DATA
DNF Marko KUMP, LAMPRE – MERIDA
DNF Alberto BETTIOL, CANNONDALE-DRAPAC PRO CYCLING TEAM
DNF Johann VAN ZYL, TEAM DIMENSION DATA
DNF Maarten WYNANTS, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO
DNF Matteo TRENTIN, ETIXX – QUICK STEP
DNF Marco COLEDAN, TREK – SEGAFREDO
DNF Viacheslav KUZNETSOV, TEAM KATUSHA
DNF Jurgen VAN DEN BROECK, TEAM KATUSHA
DNF Michal KWIATKOWSKI, TEAM SKY
DNF Andrew FENN, TEAM SKY
DNF Lars Petter NORDHAUG, TEAM SKY
DNF Luke ROWE, TEAM SKY
DNF Ryan MULLEN, CANNONDALE-DRAPAC PRO CYCLING TEAM
DNF Ramunas NAVARDAUSKAS, CANNONDALE-DRAPAC PRO CYCLING TEAM
DNF Jack BAUER, CANNONDALE-DRAPAC PRO CYCLING TEAM
DNF Dylan VAN BAARLE, CANNONDALE-DRAPAC PRO CYCLING TEAM
DNF Wouter WIPPERT, CANNONDALE-DRAPAC PRO CYCLING TEAM
DNF Patrick BEVIN, CANNONDALE-DRAPAC PRO CYCLING TEAM
DNF Michael MATTHEWS, ORICA-BIKEEXCHANGE
DNF Caleb EWAN, ORICA-BIKEEXCHANGE
DNF Michael HEPBURN, ORICA-BIKEEXCHANGE
DNF Tim WELLENS, LOTTO SOUDAL
DNF Maciej BODNAR, TINKOFF
DNF Pavel BRUTT, TINKOFF
DNF Oscar GATTO, TINKOFF
DNF Matteo TOSATTO, TINKOFF
DNF Nikolay TRUSOV, TINKOFF
DNF Michael VALGREN, TINKOFF
DNF Erik BASKA, TINKOFF
DNF Chad HAGA, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN
DNF Georg PREIDLER, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN
DNF Ramon SINKELDAM, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN
DNF Albert TIMMER, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN
DNF Roy CURVERS, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN
DNF Rohan DENNIS, BMC RACING TEAM
DNF Daniel OSS, BMC RACING TEAM
DNF Joseph ROSSKOPF, BMC RACING TEAM
DNF Thomas LEEZER, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO
DNF Raymond KREDER, ROOMPOT – ORANJE PELOTON
DNF Wesley KREDER, ROOMPOT – ORANJE PELOTON
DNF Sjoerd VAN GINNEKEN, ROOMPOT – ORANJE PELOTON
DNF Kevin VAN MELSEN, WANTY – GROUPE GOBERT
DNF Gaetan BILLE, WANTY – GROUPE GOBERT
DNS Marcel KITTEL, ETIXX – QUICK STEP
DNS Reinardt JANSE VAN RENSBURG, TEAM DIMENSION DATA
DNS Martin ELMIGER, IAM CYCLING
DNS Nacer BOUHANNI, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS

General classification

1. Niki TERPSTRA, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, in 22:43:26
2. Oliver NAESEN, IAM CYCLING, at :31
3. Peter SAGAN, TINKOFF, at 1:00
4. Greg VAN AVERMAET, BMC RACING TEAM, at 1:02
5. Jos VAN EMDEN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 1:03
6. Wilco KELDERMAN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 1:11
7. Zdenek STYBAR, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:15
8. Jon IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:19
9. Tom DUMOULIN, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 1:22
10. Bob JUNGELS, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 1:31
11. Jasha SÜTTERLIN, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:36
12. Edvald BOASSON HAGEN, TEAM DIMENSION DATA, at 1:44
13. Gorka IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 1:49
14. Taylor PHINNEY, BMC RACING TEAM, at 1:53
15. Tony MARTIN, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 2:01
16. André GREIPEL, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 2:12
17. Dmitriy GRUZDEV, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 2:17
18. Primož ROGLIC, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 2:25
19. Reto HOLLENSTEIN, IAM CYCLING, at 2:32
20. Arnaud DEMARE, FDJ, at 2:39
21. Andriy GRIVKO, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 2:40
22. Jens DEBUSSCHERE, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 2:41
23. Christopher JUUL JENSEN, ORICA-BIKEEXCHANGE, at 2:42
24. Lars Ytting BAK, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 2:48
25. John DEGENKOLB, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 2:49
26. Danny VAN POPPEL, TEAM SKY, at 2:52
27. Alexander KRISTOFF, TEAM KATUSHA, at 2:54
28. Dylan GROENEWEGEN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 3:00
29. Tiesj BENOOT, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 3:03
30. Yoann OFFREDO, FDJ, at 3:09
31. Dries DEVENYNS, IAM CYCLING, at 3:13
32. Geraint THOMAS, TEAM SKY, at 3:20
33. Fabio FELLINE, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 3:28
34. Marco MARCATO, WANTY – GROUPE GOBERT, at 3:34
35. Pieter WEENING, ROOMPOT – ORANJE PELOTON, at 3:37
36. Jasper STUYVEN, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 3:37
37. Ben SWIFT, TEAM SKY, at 3:38
38. Jonas RICKAERT, TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE, at 3:41
39. Gediminas BAGDONAS, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 3:54
40. Imanol ERVITI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 4:00
41. Frederik BACKAERT, WANTY – GROUPE GOBERT, at 4:23
42. Yukiya ARASHIRO, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 4:24
43. Nils POLITT, TEAM KATUSHA, at 4:50
44. Aimé DEGENDT, TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE, at 4:53
45. Luka MEZGEC, ORICA-BIKEEXCHANGE, at 5:16
46. Amaury CAPIOT, TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE, at 6:38
47. Marco HALLER, TEAM KATUSHA, at 7:11
48. Manuel QUINZIATO, BMC RACING TEAM, at 7:17
49. Søren Kragh ANDERSEN, TEAM GIANT – ALPECIN, at 7:42
50. Timo ROOSEN, TEAM LOTTO NL – JUMBO, at 7:43
51. Sebastian LANGEVELD, CANNONDALE-DRAPAC PRO CYCLING TEAM, at 8:16
52. Michael MORKOV, TEAM KATUSHA, at 8:21
53. Berden DE VRIES, ROOMPOT – ORANJE PELOTON, at 8:27
54. Jurgen ROELANDTS, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 8:45
55. Patrick GRETSCH, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 8:56
56. Giacomo NIZZOLO, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 8:57
57. Mario Jorge FARIA DA COSTA, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 9:12
58. Hugo HOULE, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 9:16
59. Benoît VAUGRENARD, FDJ, at 9:26
60. Christophe LAPORTE, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 9:39
61. Nick VAN DER LIJKE, ROOMPOT – ORANJE PELOTON, at 9:51
62. Jonas VANGENECHTEN, IAM CYCLING, at 10:20
63. Roberto FERRARI, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 10:32
64. Luka PIBERNIK, LAMPRE – MERIDA, at 10:35
65. Alexey LUTSENKO, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 12:01
66. Nico DENZ, AG2R LA MONDIALE, at 12:30
67. Boy VAN POPPEL, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 12:32
68. Frederik FRISON, LOTTO SOUDAL, at 14:03
69. Alexander PORSEV, TEAM KATUSHA, at 14:19
70. Cyril LEMOINE, COFIDIS, SOLUTIONS CREDITS, at 14:24
71. Roy JANS, WANTY – GROUPE GOBERT, at 16:41
72. Francisco José VENTOSO ALBERDI, MOVISTAR TEAM, at 18:18
73. Stijn DEVOLDER, TREK – SEGAFREDO, at 18:28
74. Dries VAN GESTEL, TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE, at 19:29
75. Carlos VERONA QUINTANILLA, ORICA-BIKEEXCHANGE, at 20:48
76. Simone ANTONINI, WANTY – GROUPE GOBERT, at 21:54
77. Iljo KEISSE, ETIXX – QUICK STEP, at 22:33
78. Bert VAN LERBERGHE, TOPSPORT VLAANDEREN – BALOISE, at 22:47
79. Stefan KUENG, BMC RACING TEAM, at 23:28
80. Mark MCNALLY, WANTY – GROUPE GOBERT, at 23:38
81. Brian VAN GOETHEM, ROOMPOT – ORANJE PELOTON, at 24:41
82. Tom BOHLI, BMC RACING TEAM, at 25:10
83. Laurens DE VREESE, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 26:03
84. Ruslan TLEUBAYEV, ASTANA PRO TEAM, at 26:14

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