Tobias Lund Andresen sprints to 2nd after great Team Picnic PostNL ride in Heistse Pijl

One-day racing in Belgium returned on Saturday afternoon at Heistse Pijl, with a 189 kilometre route from Vosselaar to Heist-op-den-Berg and the traditional finish circuit which included the Heistseberg before the finale.

It was a steady start to the day with an early break going clear, while Team Picnic PostNL remained in the peloton, biding their time and energy for later in the race. Although there was a threat of crosswinds throughout the afternoon, nothing ever really materialised but it did make for a nervous peloton.

Coming into the last 50 kilometres the pace increased and the break was caught, with the team moving up well as a unit to position fast finisher Tobias Lund Andresen. A superb job meant that the team stayed out of trouble while crashes then split the bunch, and coming into the final they could bring Lund Andresen into position over the last ascent. In the sprint to the line, Lund Andresen picked a good wheel to follow and launched a strong sprint, taking second place and rewarding some good teamwork on the day.

Lund Andresen expressed: “Today was some good teamwork from everyone. There was quite a bit of jumping at the start, but then it was easier going towards the laps. There we took responsibility in chasing the break but also to make sure we were in a good position. The guys did a good job to jeep up is positioning for the Heistseberg. Then in the final we started from a long way out but we managed to make it all the way to the climb, which was key. As always, it’s a huge fight into the climb and we knew that being in the first five means you can go for the win. I’m satisfied with how we worked together. A second place is good and of course we would have loved to be one step higher, but I think we did a really good job today and I’m looking forward to the next days.”

Team Picnic PostNL coach Roy Curvers added: “It was a quite hectic bike race with some strong winds, but it was never enough to cause echelons, but it made the bunch nervous. The guys rode a pretty straightforward race: all the time they were in the front positions so they were out of trouble. Going into the deep final we did a great job positioning Tobias into the last corner before the Heistseberg climb. We knew that if you are in the top five at that moment, then you can sprint for the win at the finish and in the end we came pretty close to it. Coming close like this makes us hungry for more so you cannot be overly disappointed with the result and from a team perspective we did everything to give ourselves the chance to go for it. That’s how we have to play it, and we’re looking forward to the next days too where we look to keep this performance up.”