A big day for Aqua Blue Sport: The team launches new plans and also takes a big result and the race lead at the Tour of Denmark.
Less than a couple of hours after launching its radical new plans for the future, Aqua Blue Sport has taken a very timely win on the road.
Lasse Norman Hansen has powered home to take the opening stage and the yellow jersey at the Tour of Demark.
The Dane attacked solo with just 1km remaining at the end of the five-hour 218km stage into Aalborg.
And while repeated attacks had been closed down and apparently paved the way for a bunch sprint, Hansen had other ideas.
He used the track horsepower that made him the Olympic omnium champion in 2012 to get a gap and just about hold it.
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Hansen was very nearly swallowed up in the surge to the line; sprinter Bryan Coquard (Vital Concept) proving fastest of the bunch but not getting past Hansen.
And so the delighted Aqua Blue Sport man won the stage and took the race lead, recording the same time as the runner-up
The young up and coming German Max Kanter (20) of Team Sunweb rounded out the podium.
Deuxième place à Aalborg pour @bryancoquard sur la 1e étape du @postnorddkrundt mais encore de belles choses à faire jusqu'à dimanche ! ?#PNDKR18 l #ThereIsNoTry pic.twitter.com/S0w6bxwu3s
— Vital Concept Cycling Club (@VitalConcept_CC) August 1, 2018
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It was the second time this year than Hansen has taken victory and yellow on a stage race.
Way back in January he was 3rd in the prologue of the Herald Sun Tour in Australia. He might have won but for a mishap on a corner.
However, the following day he claimed the stage and took the raced lead which he held for two days.
Hansen has taken his latest win on the same day his team said it had acquired the assets of Sniper Cycling; which rides as Vérandas Willems–Crelan.
It means world cyclocross champion Wout Van Aert will ride, both on the road and in cyclocross races, next year for the team currently known as Aqua Blue Sport.
Some of the Vérandas Willems–Crelan management team, including former Tour of Flanders winner Nick Nuyens, will join the Aqua Blue Sport management team.
Aqua Blue Sport intends to spread its online retailing operation into cyclocross. It is also planning to sign more riders and open a new shop franchise project.
Meanwhile, while Hansen was winning in Denmark today, another Aqua Blue Sport line-up was riding the final stage of Tour de Wallonie (2.HC) in Belgium.
The final stage, won by Jens Debusschere (Lotto Soudal) in a bunch sprint, saw late attacks by Conor Dunne and Eddie Dunbar.
While those moves were closed down, the two Irish Aqua Blue Sport riders animated the finale.
Irish champion Dunne was also on the attack on the opening stage and was most aggressive rider that day. Dunbar (21) ended the race in 38th overall.
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