"Today was actually great. It's pretty cool to win my first GC. I love this race, I wanted to win it coming in -that was the goal- but winning races is not easy. I'm overjoyed. I was pretty stressed going into it but I couldn't have asked for a better team. I mean, I was at the front all day. They won every fight into all the important sectors, they controlled the breakaway, and there was almost no stress because they were so good today. These are class bike riders. They have amazing palmares, and we even brought in a couple of our IPT Academy riders, and they were amaing. They had to do a lot of work but they stepped up."
-Derek Gee
IPT teammates made sure to keep Gee safe on the gravel sections and in a good position near the front.
Opening Weekend Part 2: Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
Cue in the band
The rewards: A donkey and a nice large drink.
Celebrating a good finish: Boivin and Hofstetter (3rd place).
“Jake asked me how I felt and I was like ‘yeah, I feel really good and I can follow the moves’, so he just let me have my chance today. It was supposed to be for him, so I thank him for this. Then, Matis and G did an amazing job for me, like Jake did. I knew that it was really crucial to be in a really good position for this last left corner. I managed to take the wheel from Olav Kooij and then the sprint was almost done! But it was really hard to pass those guys that are too fast.”
-Hugo Hofstetter had previously finished sixth for IPT in KBK back in 2020, but he became its first podium finisher in the second of races that comprise Openiong Weekend after finishing in 3rd place. Hofstetter's podium finishes comes on the same day that teammate Derek Gee claimed the first GC victory of his career at O Gran Camino!
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