ProTeam Caleb Ewan takes second place in Koolskamp Koers

Lotto Soudal sprinter Caleb Ewan took second place in Koolskamp Koers, or the ‘Championship of Flanders’. For a long time, it looked like the Australian was going to make it, but he was caught by Fabio Jakobsen in the final meters.

Koolskamp Koers is a traditional sprintrace and thus the startlist contained quite some fast legs. Caleb Ewan was the sprinter for Lotto Soudal, supported by a strong train with Michael Schwarzmann, Frederik Frison, Roger Kluge, Rüdiger Selig, Reinardt Janse van Rensburg and Jasper De Buyst. The race unfolded in a traditional way: 5 men got away, but they never stood a chance against the sprinter’s teams. The peloton returned and sprinted for victory. Caleb Ewan went early but was just caught on the line by Fabio Jakobsen.

“It was very difficult to time this finish”, said Caleb Ewan right after the race. “With the headwind in the final straight, it was a constant battle to be well positioned. You don’t want to be too far in the front, because then you take too much wind. But if you are too far back, you risk not being able to move up in time. The team has supported me all the time and everyone did their jobs very well.”

When the Australian sprinter came to the front in the finale hectometers, he had to launch his sprint. “Maybe it was a bit too early, but I could not wait any longer. You do not want to get closed in. I could keep pushing and maintain my speed, but in the end, Fabio Jakobsen just passed me. Of course, I wanted the win, but at the same time I can be happy with my form. There are quite some races coming up and I am sure I will get my chance to fight for victory again.”