8th March: Ath – Lessines
One-day racing in Belgium continued for Team Picnic PostNL at the GP Criquielion on Saturday afternoon. Starting with a mix of riders from the Men’s program and Development program, it was set to be a fast day out over the narrow roads, punchy climbs and cobbles. Riding well as a unit, the team set out with the goal of positioning and protecting Pavel Bittner for the expected sprint finish in the final. It was a nervous race with a lot of crashes in the bunch which caused some splits throughout the day. With some late attackers caught, Bittner himself was caught slightly behind a split on the run-in but things came together in the final few hundred metres where he launched his sprint early.
After the race Bittner said: “We went into today with me as a finisher and we tried to take initiative in the beginning. We looked out for some dangerous groups that were going before Timo then did a good job on the front so we could sit well together in the peloton. Coming into the bigger laps the boys did a good job the first time around but coming into it in the final we were a bit down on numbers a bit. Pat could come back on the big road and help me out. In the final I had to follow the wheels and on the last straight it was a bit of a washing machine. I was caught behind a split and when it came back I made a bit of a mistake and went too early in the sprint. We can take some positives, my legs felt good and tomorrow is another day.”