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Wellens takes queen stage of Eneco Tour, snatches race lead

A day after Greg Van Avermaet took his first win of the year at the Eneco Tour, Tim Wellens (Belgium/Lotto-Belisol) celebrated his first pro win Saturday in Aywaille, Belgium to take over the white leader’s jersey from Dutchman Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Shimano).

The 16 short, sharp climbs over 173.3 km drew an octet of breakaways with Tom Boonen (Belgium/Omega Pharma-Lotto) at its core. The eight men kept together until after they had climbed Liège-Bastogne-Liège’s Cote de La Redoute for the first of three times and started the first of two finishing loops. It was Australian Nathan Haas of Garmin-Sharp who left the others and lit out for glory alone.

Boonen and three others formed the chase as the streamlined peloton drew nearer. With BMC at work in the peloton, the chase was pulled back on the Cote de Fraiture. It was Belkin Belgian Sep Vanmarcke’s attack with 19 km remaining that spelled the end of Haas’s time in the lead. However, Europcar Frenchman Alexandre Pichot benefited the most from the catch, and he headed up the Chambralles climb alone.

Pichot’s compatriot Arnold Jeannesson (FDJ) was inspired to pursue the man in green, and it was then that Wellens made his move up to Jeannesson. The trio came together with 11 km remaining, but Wellens soon left his companions behind and powered his way over the final 10 km to victory.

In the favourites peloton, Lars Boom (The Netherlands/Belkin), who led the race for two days, attacked on the descent of the penultimate climb. Dumoulin’s lead was threatened and he battled gamely on the final passage up La Redoute, but now sits third 17 seconds behind Wellens with one stage to go.

2014 Eneco Tour Stage 6
1) Tim Wellens (Belgium/Lotto-Belisol) 4:28:19
2) Lars Boom (The Netherlands/Belkin) +0:50
3) Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium/BMC) +0:52

2014 Eneco Tour GC
1) Tim Wellens (Belgium/Lotto-Belisol) 21:03:27
2) Lars Boom (The Netherlands/Belkin) +0:07
3) Tom Dumoulin (The Netherlands/Giant-Shimano) +0:13

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