2016 Primus Classic Impanis-Van Petegem (HC), Belgium
19th edition: Saturday, September 17, 2016
Primus Classic Impanis-Van Petegem podium history | 2015 edition | 2017 edition
Brakel - Boortmeerbeek, 200.4 km
Fernando Gaviria wins the 2016 Primus CLassic
The Race: Here's the story from winner Fernando Gaviria's Etixx-Quick Step team.
A superb lead-out and a well-timed sprint helped Colombian Fernando Gaviria claim his sixth victory of the season.
At just 22 years of age, Fernando Gaviria has all that it takes to become a huge rider: talent, panache, striking versatility, huge ambition and a strong and dominant team by his side, capable of protecting him and making the difference when it matters. All these were there for everyone to see in such events such as the Tour de San Luis, Tirreno-Adriatico or the Tour de Pologne, and most recently in the Grand Prix Impanis-Van Petegem (Brakel – Boortmeerbeek, 200 kilometers), one of the last Belgian races of the year.
Benjamin Giraud (Delko Marseille), Tom Dernies (Wallonie-Bruxelles), Julien Mortier (Color Code), Timothy Stevens (Crelan-Vastgoedservice), Preben Van Hecke (Topsport Vlaanderen) and Kevin Van Melsen (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) were the six man to book a place on Saturday in the break which needed more than 40 kilometers to establish. As their lead didn't go north of four minutes, the escapees were brought back with 50 kilometers left, under the impetus of Etixx – Quick-Step and BMC.
It was no surprise that the race continued at an aggressive pace, and soon, another group formed, Fernando Gaviria, Magnus Cort (Orica-BikeExchange), Moreno Hofland (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) being some of the big names who pulled to build a maximum gap of 30 seconds. That group, although a strong one, was reabsorbed by the peloton 9 kilometers away from the line and despite several riders attempting to get clear and outfox the bunch, everything sticked together until the finish.
Etixx – Quick-Step moved to the front with two kilometers to go and delivered a solid and impressive lead-out to Fernando Gaviria, who finished off the work of his teammates in spectacular fashion, getting the better of his opponents to become the first Colombian winner of the Grand Prix Impanis-Van Petegem. Timothy Dupont (Verandas Willems) was second, while Max Richeze, the last man in Fernando's train, rounded out the podium of the 19th edition.
"It was a complicated and nervous race today. When Van Avermaet attacked, I jumped immediately, because I sensed that the move could have a chance to go all the way. Then, when they caught us, we switched our focus to the bunch sprint. Julien, Guillaume, Fabio and Max all brought me in an excellent position from which I couldn't miss. After coming second yesterday in Koolskamp, where my legs weren't so good, I wanted to repay them for their hard work and I'm happy to have managed that", said the 22-year-old, who netted Etixx – Quick-Step's 51st victory of the season.
Fernando Gaviria is the most successful neo-pro of 2016 in terms of victories, with six wins in the bag, and the one he got on Saturday afternoon has a special meaning for him: "I can't describe how delighted I am for taking my first ever victory in Belgium, a country I love and which breathes cycling, a country with incredible fans and spectacular races. I like this kind of parcours, with short climbs and cobbles, as it really suits me. I am extremely happy for winning today. Now I will continue to work hard for the final races of the season and give it my all for Etixx – Quick-Step."
Complete Results:
200.4 kilometers raced at an average speed of 43.356 km/hr
| 1 | Fernando Gaviria | Etixx-Quick Step | 4hr 37min 20sec |
| 2 | Timothy Dupont | Veranda's Willems | s.t. |
| 3 | Maximiliano Richeze | Etixx-Quick Step | s.t. |
| 4 | Tom Van Asbroeck | LottoNL-Jumbo | s.t. |
| 5 | Magnus Cort | Orica-BikeExchange | s.t. |
| 6 | Alexander Porsev | Katusha | s.t. |
| 7 | Kevyn Ista | Wallonie Bruxelles | s.t. |
| 8 | Robin Sténuit | Wanty-Groupe Gobert | s.t. |
| 9 | Michael Svendgaard | Stölting | s.t. |
| 10 | Marco Haller | Katusha | s.t. |
| 11 | Dion Smith | ONE Pro Cycling | s.t. |
| 12 | Dylan Page | Roth | s.t. |
| 13 | Jonas Rickaert | Topsport Vlaanderen | s.t. |
| 14 | Michel Kreder | Roompot Oranje Peloton | s.t. |
| 15 | Floris Gerts | BMC Racing | s.t. |
| 16 | Maximilien Picoux | Color Code | s.t. |
| 17 | Steven Tronet | Fortuneo Vital Concept | s.t. |
| 18 | Justin Jules | Veranclassic | s.t. |
| 19 | Alexey Tsatevich | Katusha | s.t. |
| 20 | Pim Ligthart | Lotto-Soudal | s.t. |
| 21 | Frederik Backaert | Wanty-Groupe Gobert | s.t. |
| 22 | Alexander Maes | Katusha | s.t. |
| 23 | Sam Lennertz | Veranclassic | s.t. |
| 24 | Olivier Pardini | Wallonie Bruxelles | s.t. |
| 25 | Anton Vorobyev | Katusha | s.t. |
| 26 | Gerry Druyts | Crelan-Vastgoedservice | s.t. |
| 27 | Jarl Salomein | Topsport Vlaanderen | s.t. |
| 28 | Guillaume Van Keirsbulck | Etixx-Quick Step | s.t. |
| 29 | Niels De Rooze | Veranclassic | s.t. |
| 30 | Jasper De Buyst | Lotto-Soudal | s.t. |
| 31 | Maurits Lammertink | Roompot Oranje Peloton | s.t. |
| 32 | Greg Henderson | Lotto-Soudal | s.t. |
| 33 | Antoine Warnier | Wallonie Bruxelles | s.t. |
| 34 | Bryan Coquard | Direct Energie | s.t. |
| 35 | Julien Mortier | Color Code | s.t. |
| 36 | Daniel McLay | Fortuneo Vital Concept | s.t. |
| 37 | Massimo Vanderaerden | Veranclassic | s.t. |
| 38 | Eugert Zhupa | Wilier Triestina | s.t. |
| 39 | Asbjørn Kragh | Delko Marseille Provence | s.t. |
| 40 | Gert Dockx | Lotto-Soudal | s.t. |
| 41 | Stijn Vandenbergh | Etixx-Quick Step | s.t. |
| 42 | Maxime Farazijn | Topsport Vlaanderen | s.t. |
| 43 | Tim Kerkhof | Roompot Oranje Peloton | s.t. |
| 44 | Adrien Costa | Etixx-Quick Step | s.t. |
| 45 | Dennis Coenen | Crelan-Vastgoedservice | s.t. |
| 46 | Alexey Vermeulen | LottoNL-Jumbo | s.t. |
| 47 | Sander Helven | Topsport Vlaanderen | s.t. |
| 48 | Ludwig De Winter | Wallonie Bruxelles | s.t. |
| 49 | Mark McNally | Wanty-Groupe Gobert | s.t. |
| 50 | Reinier Honig | Roompot Oranje Peloton | s.t. |
| 51 | Etienne van Empel | Roompot Oranje Peloton | s.t. |
| 52 | Amets Txurruka | Orica-BikeExchange | s.t. |
| 53 | Joshua Hunt | ONE Pro Cycling | s.t. |
| 54 | Nicholas Schultz | Orica-BikeExchange | s.t. |
| 55 | Evaldas Šiškevicius | Delko Marseille Provence | s.t. |
| 56 | Vegard Breen | Fortuneo Vital Concept | @ 8sec |
| 57 | Antoine Loy | Color Code | s.t. |
| 58 | Johnny Hoogerland | Roompot Oranje Peloton | s.t. |
| 59 | Giuseppe Fonzi | Wilier Triestina | s.t. |
| 60 | Brecht Dhaene | Veranda's Willems | s.t. |
| 61 | Thierry Hupond | Delko Marseille Provence | s.t. |
| 62 | Adrien Petit | Direct Energie | s.t. |
| 63 | Nicolas Baldo | Roth | s.t. |
| 64 | Fabio Sabatini | Etixx-Quick Step | s.t. |
| 65 | Marvin Tasset | Color Code | s.t. |
| 66 | Gordon De Winter | Color Code | s.t. |
| 67 | Pieter Jacobs | Crelan-Vastgoedservice | s.t. |
| 68 | Dimitri Peyskens | Veranclassic | s.t. |
| 69 | Nicola Toffali | Roth | s.t. |
| 70 | Carlos Verona | Orica-BikeExchange | s.t. |
| 71 | Frederik Veuchelen | Wanty-Groupe Gobert | s.t. |
| 72 | Alexander Edmondson | Orica-BikeExchange | s.t. |
| 73 | Jérôme Baugnies | Wanty-Groupe Gobert | s.t. |
| 74 | Thomas Koep | Stölting | +14'' |
| 75 | Olivier Chevalier | Wallonie Bruxelles | s.t. |
| 76 | Moreno Hofland | LottoNL-Jumbo | s.t. |
| 77 | Sébastien Delfosse | Wallonie Bruxelles | s.t. |
| 78 | Preben Van Hecke | Topsport Vlaanderen | s.t. |
| 79 | Michael Reihs | Stölting | s.t. |
| 80 | Michael Schär | BMC Racing | s.t. |
| 81 | Robert Power | Orica-BikeExchange | s.t. |
| 82 | Mads Pedersen | Stölting | s.t. |
| 83 | Aidis Kruopis | Veranda's Willems | s.t. |
| 84 | Martin Palm | Color Code | s.t. |
| 85 | Moritz Backofen | Stölting | s.t. |
| 86 | Jelle Wallays | Lotto-Soudal | s.t. |
| 87 | Greg Van Avermaet | BMC Racing | s.t. |
| 88 | Dennis van Winden | LottoNL-Jumbo | s.t. |
| 89 | Tosh Van der Sande | Lotto-Soudal | s.t. |
| 90 | Kris Boeckmans | Lotto-Soudal | s.t. |
| 91 | Brent Bookwalter | BMC Racing | +22'' |
| 92 | Steven Lammertink | LottoNL-Jumbo | s.t. |
| 93 | Jef Van Meirhaeghe | Topsport Vlaanderen | s.t. |
| 94 | Jurgen Van den Broeck | Katusha | s.t. |
| 95 | Jean-Marc Bideau | Fortuneo Vital Concept | s.t. |
| 96 | Dimitri Claeys | Wanty-Groupe Gobert | +27'' |
| 97 | Sander Cordeel | Veranda's Willems | +45'' |
| 98 | Franck Bonnamour | Fortuneo Vital Concept | +55'' |
| 99 | Leonardo Duque | Delko Marseille Provence | +1' 01'' |
| 100 | Julien Vermote | Etixx-Quick Step | +1' 13'' |
| 101 | Arnaud Gérard | Fortuneo Vital Concept | +1' 16'' |
| 102 | James Oram | ONE Pro Cycling | +1' 24'' |
| 103 | Rob Ruijgh | Crelan-Vastgoedservice | +1' 44'' |
| 104 | Benoît Jarrier | Fortuneo Vital Concept | +2' 04'' |
| 105 | Pierre-Luc Périchon | Fortuneo Vital Concept | s.t. |
| 106 | Cristian Raileanu | Wilier Triestina | +2' 37'' |
| 107 | Christophe Laborie | Delko Marseille Provence | s.t. |
| 108 | Sven Reutter | Stölting | +3' 54'' |
| 109 | Mirko Tedeschi | Wilier Triestina | s.t. |
| 110 | Hayden McCormick | ONE Pro Cycling | s.t. |
| 111 | Tom Dernies | Wallonie Bruxelles | s.t. |
| 112 | Mike Teunissen | LottoNL-Jumbo | s.t. |
| 113 | Iván García | Etixx-Quick Step | +5' 17'' |
| 114 | Rubén Plaza | Orica-BikeExchange | s.t. |
| 115 | Kenny De Ketele | Topsport Vlaanderen | +6' 03'' |
| 116 | Alexandre Pichot | Direct Energie | s.t. |
| 117 | Sylvain Chavanel | Direct Energie | s.t. |
| 118 | Thomas Voeckler | Direct Energie | s.t. |
| 119 | Vladimir Isaichev | Katusha | +7' 11'' |
| 120 | Johan Hemroulle | Color Code | +7' 30'' |
| 121 | Kevin Van Melsen | Wanty-Groupe Gobert | +7' 31'' |
| 122 | Ruben Pols | Topsport Vlaanderen | s.t. |
| 123 | Angelo Tulik | Direct Energie | +7' 34'' |
| 124 | Tom Baylis | ONE Pro Cycling | +8' 24'' |