Vermote💦 sat only four seconds behind Kwiatkowski going into the final stage and initially w꧂as assigned to work to protect the lead of the Pole. But on a wind and rain-swept Flanders course, Kwiatkowski fell and crashed while cornering a roundabout, and Vermote was given a free role and ensured the overall title remained within Omega Pharma-Quickstep hands.
Vermote was up to the task, finishing with the peloton and sealing the overall title, but it was a bittersweet victory for the Belgian who acknowledged that it should've ꦜb🎶een Kwiatkowski standing in his place.
"I really didn't expect to win the race," Vermote said. "I'm really sad for Michal, he didn't win only because of bad luck - not throꩵugh lack of strengths. But we are a fantastic ✱team here. Everybody sacrificed themself for the team result. In any case I'm happy I can prove my skills."
Francesco Chicchi, who took out stage 2 in a field sprint also crashed ♓on the wet roads, but testament to the depth of the Belgian outfit evꦰen undermanned were able to settle the overall title unperturbed.
Omega Pharma-Quickstep has taken an impressive 16 wins on the road this year with eight d🐻ifferent riders.
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