Baloise Belgium Tour

Fabio Jakobsen powered to Soudal Quick-Step’s 27th victory of the year in convincing fashion after a sensational lead-out of his teammates and moved into the leader’s jersey ahead of the race’s individual time trial in Beveren.

Crosswinds, tricky corners, crashes and an uphill drag to the line – nothing could stop the Wolfpack Thursday afternoon in Knokke-Heist, where the second stage concluded after several local laps. Consisting of Yves Lampaert – whose three seconds scored at the Golden Kilometer sprint moved him in the top 10 overall at the end of the day – Casper Pedersen and Michael Mørkøv, Soudal Quick-Step dominated the finale in Knokke-Heist.

Jakobsen came out of Mørkøv’s wheel with just 150 meters to go, after another magnificent lead-out of the experienced Dane, and gave no chance to his opponents, taking by a clear margin his fourth victory since the start of the season.

“Today was hectic with that crash that took place in the last kilometers, and I hope that all the guys involved are ok. We were at the front when it happened, and it’s thanks to the team that I was so well-positioned, I am really grateful to them for their fantastic work. In the sprint, I went early, as I didn’t want to get boxed in, and a quick glance over my shoulder showed me that all was good and I had a comfortable gap. The leader’s jersey is a nice bonus, I hope that they have a big size skinsuit for me to wear during Friday’s individual time trial”, said a smiling Fabio, who also holds the points jersey.

Photo credit: ©Mark Van Hecke / Getty Images