6th March 2011 – Only Team RadioShack riders stood on the final podium in Ichtegem, finishing place of the last stage of the Three Days of West Flanders. Jesse Sergent, who took the yellow leader’s jersey in Friday’s prologue, defended his jersey with success and with the help of his teammates and is the overall winner of the three-day stage race. Next to the New Zealand rider on the podium were his Belgian and Polish teammates Sébastien Rosseler and 20-year-old Michal Kwiatkowski. Forty-year-old Niko Eeckhout (An Post) won the last stage in the sprint ahead of Jimmy Casper (Saur-Sojasun). Both riders were part of a group of 21 riders that broke away after only 25K of racing. In that group were also the Team RadioShack riders Sébastien Rosseler, Michal Kwiatkowski, Nélson Oliveira and race leader Jesse Sergent.

“It’s always better to be in the front than to chase the whole day, but that was not really my intention,” explained Sergent regarding the day’s events. “I was just in the front to stay safe as we knew from Dirk Demol that, with all that wind, the peloton would split up in many parts. I didn’t want to be surprised. I never thought that we would stay in the front for 175 K but we did because Oliveira, Rosseler and Kwiatkowski worked so hard for me today. It’s unreal what they did. It’s unreal what I have now too. I just won my first stage race as a pro rider.”

Team Director Dirk Demol insisted Friday on doing a strong prologue. “Tactically I felt it could be very important to have many riders in the front. That’s how it worked out too. I cannot describe how proud I am of all these young guys. Don’t forget, for all of them it’s the first time they do a race in Flanders with narrow, windy and slippery roads. After our demonstration in the prologue, the other 24 teams, including 7 other World Tour teams, didn’t give us any gifts. We had to work for it the entire three days.”

“Our riders in the break of 21 had to work constantly to defend a 1 minute advantage as Katusha and HTC were chasing,” continued Demol. “After the Heuvelland climbs, including the Kemmelberg, it finally became 2 minutes and then in the peloton they realized they would never bring back the front group. Oliveira did all the work in the group from 25k to go up to 12k to go. Then Séba did the last 12k. They were incredibly strong. Yes, I am proud of all eight guys these past three days.”

Jesse Sergent (22) is the silver medalist of the world pursuit championship, 2010. Last May he won the time trial stage in the Tour of Gila over specialists Levi Leipheimer and Dave Zabriskie. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he won the bronze medal as part of the New Zealand team in team pursuit. Since August 2010, when he became a stagiair rider for Team RadioShack, he started to focus more on the road.

“The people who only follow road cycling will know me soon enough now,” said Sergent. “I will still do the track and will enjoy it and will work toward the next Olympic Games, but you will see me more and more on the road. After London 2012 I will probably be a fulltime road cyclist.”

On Monday Sergent will fly home to New Zealand to do some preparations for the next World Track Championships in Holland.

“I will come back to Europe for that World Championship (March 26) and then afterwards I will start in De Panne. Isn’t that a three-day race too?”

“I will come beck to Europe for that World Championship – 26th of March – and then afterwards I will start in De Panne. Isn’t that a three-day race too?”

Final General Classification
1 Jesse Sergent (RadioShack); 2 Sébastien Rosseler (Team RadioShack) 0:10; 3 Michal Kwiatkowski (RadioShack) 0:10; 4 Dominique Rolin 0:15; 5 Matthieu Ladagnous 0:18; 6 Jens Mouris 0:19; 7 Jimmy Engoulvent 0:20; 8 Niko Eeckhout 0:24; 9 Sébastien Chavanel 0:33; 10 Klaas Lodewyck 0:40