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Tim Wellens triumphs in Eneco Tour

August 17, 2014
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Tim Wellens (Lotto-Belisol) has arrived. The Belgian won the UCI WorldTour’s Eneco Tour Sunday having taken the race lead Saturday while grabbing his first professional victory. Sunday’s stage winner was Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Belgium/Omega Pharma-QuickStop), who attacked his breakmates and soloed to the line.

Sunday’s 183.4 km route traveled from Belgium to The Netherlands with some of the Amstel Gold race’s hills among the 23 climbs on course. A 20 man breakaway liberally sprinkled with Omega Pharma riders formed and kept ahead of the Lotto-Belisol led peloton.

Van Keisbulck attacked on the first of two 24.2 km laps around Geleen and held a 36 second lead over the rest of the crumbling breakaway at the last lap bell. Back in the peloton, things were kicking off as Belkin took over pace-making duties in hopes of putting Dutchman Lars Boom in the final white jersey; Niki Terpstra (The Netherlands/Omega Pharma) and Maarten Wynants (Belgium/Belkin) exchanged NHL-lite shoulder barges at the front.

Lotto took up the reins again and controlled the desperation moves from Wellens’s rivals, as there were riders left over from the breakaway who would sop up any bonus seconds.

Although Van Keirsbulck has won one stage race and taken two stage race young rider jerseys this year, it was his first 2014 stage win.

Wellens has shown a lot of promise this season, coming runner-up twice in the Giro d’Italia and runner-up in his national time trial championship. He’ll be one to watch in 2015’s Classics.

2014 Eneco Tour Stage 7
1) Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Belgium/Omega Pharma-QuickStop) 4:25:47
2) Matteo Trentin (Italy/Omega Pharma-QuickStop) +0:46
3) Yves Lampaert (Belgium/Topsport-Vlaanderen) s.t.

2014 Eneco Tour Final GC
1) Tim Wellens (Belgium/Lotto-Belisol) 25:30:15
2) Lars Boom (The Netherlands/Belkin) +0:07
3) Tom Dumoulin (The Netherlands/Giant-Shimano) +0:13

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