Video: Aqua Blue Sport sprint in for another podium result
Aqua Blue Sport sprint in for another podium result. The Irish team is nudging ever closer to its first pro victory. Above, Adam Blythe after his 2nd place in Belgium.
Aqua Blue Sport has once again pushed for victory, with Adam Blythe taking the runner-up spot in the Nokere Koerse-Danilith Classic.
The 192.3km Belgian fixture was won well by Nacer Bouhanni in a bunch sprint.
The Frenchman riding for Cofidis powered ahead of his rivals for a convincing victory on the uphill cobbled finish.
And Blythe, who was 4th in Holland last weekend, just held off Joeri Stallaert (Cibel-Cebon), with WorldTour man Phil Bauhaus 4th for Team Sunweb.
The race was marked by a bizarre incident in the last 10km. Lotto-Soudal rider Kris Boeckmans pulled a rider all the way back through the field after a dispute.
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However, that was soon put to one side and Bouhanni was given a very strong lead-out by his team to win.
Blythe was 4th in Ronde van Drenthe at the weekend. He was edged out in the sprint for 3rd while sprinting on a flat wheel and after a two-man breakaway survived.
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He also punctured yesterday just as the speed was ramping up with 15km to go but got back into the peloton to contest the sprint.
“I lost a bit of speed before the sprint started,” British national champion Blythe said.
“I could have done with that extra two or three kilometre per hour before it started going up.
“It was good though and it is hard and dangerous but every sprint is dangerous. I had a bit of bad luck with the puncture.
“But it is not an excuse, it did not make me any worse, I still would have done the same sprint.
“I think positioning was good, I could have done with more speed but I think it was good. Second is definitely better than third.”
The team is edging ever-closer to its first pro win, with Lasse Norman Hansen having finished 3rd in the Dwars door West Vlaanderen Belgian classic the weekend before last.
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