Czech cyclo-cross star Zdenek Stybar (Telenet-Fidea) clinched the win in the first round of the Gazet van Anwerpen Trophy in Namur, Belgium. Stybar dropped Belgian Klaas Vantornout (Sunweb-Revor) during the last lap to finish solo on top of the massive Namur citadel. In addition, Stybar grabbed three bonus points during the intermediate sprint after two laps and a 1000-euro bonus for riding the fastest lap of the race.
With Stybar, Van Tornhout and Pauwels on place 1,2 and 3, Ridley Bikes celebrated a compete podium.
Kevin Pauwels (Telenet-Fidea) finished third half a minute after Stybar. The classification chances of Sven Nys (Landbouwkrediet) suffered a blow when he pulled out of the race. The Belgian champion had an off-day and abandoned when he realized he wasn't going to score the big points in Namur. Combined with the absence of an injured Niels Albert (BKCP-Powerplus), Stybar is off to a good start toward the overall victory in the GvA Trophy.
Pictures : Belga.