De Klein wins after Welford reduction

Mathieu WARNIER, Media365, posted on Tuesday May 3, 2022 at 4:56 pm.

First at the finish line Sam Wellsford saw victory in the first stage of 4 days from Dunkirk after causing the downfall of Arnaud de Lee. Arvid de Kleijn inherited this success and the event leader’s jersey.

Perhaps Sam Wellsford just didn’t have friends. The DSM Team runner was fastest at the end of the first stage of the 4 Days of Dunkerque. But, while the latter explanation wasn’t the cleanest, the NZ rating was downgraded. On a 161.1 km track between Dunkirk and the Amish, marked by three difficulties that are far from insurmountable, a trio of Cyril Barth, Milan Fritten and Evaldas Siskivicius managed to break out of Peloton at great speed and take the lead two minutes later. However, teams of sprinters quickly closed the race, and 73 kilometers from the finish this separation ended without being able to fully develop. Then a side wind mixed with the party, causing breaks and giving ideas to the adventurers. After several vain attempts, the Belgians Alex Coleman and Jess van Hoeke got dressed, then grabbed by their compatriot Lionel Tamino.

Wellsford is wrong and de Klein inherits victory

The trio that saw Lotto-Soudal teams, and in particular Philip Gilbert who played fellow model, put DSM themselves at the helm of the group. In the final ten kilometer circuit that was covered twice, the gap continued to decrease. Alex Coleman scored the first seven kilometers from the goal, and Jess van Hoeke imitated it after three kilometers. Lionel Tamino didn’t carry an extra 1,000m against moving trains. It was a nervous peloton that approached the extension of the house. While Dan McClay seemed to be in top position, Sam Wellsford showed his qualities as a former track specialist to take the lead. Meanwhile, Arnaud de Lee tried to squeeze between his rivals and saw the New Zealander grab his elbow to block him, causing the Lotto-Sodal team rider to crash at high speed. If he crosses the finish line in first place, Sam Wellsford has been reasonably demoted by the jury. The victory in this first stage and the leader’s jersey goes to Dutchman Arvid de Klein, who beat Jason Tesson and Nils Eckoff.

CYCLING – UCI PRO Series / 4 DAYS OF DUNKERQUE
Phase 1 – Dunkerque-Amiche (161.1 km) – Tuesday 3 May 2022
1- Arvid de Kleijn (PBS/Human Powered Health) at 3h31’14”
2- Jason Tyson (FRA / St Michel-Auber 93) Mt.
3- Nils Ekhov (PBS/DSM) MT
4- Pierre Barbier (FRA / B & B Hotels-KTM) Mt.
5- Alexis Renard (FRA / Cofidis) Mt
…

Overall rating after the first stage (out of 6)
1- Arvid de Kleijn (PBS/Human Powered Health) at 3h31’04”
2- Jason Tyson (FRA/St Michel-Auber 93 at 2″
3- Cyril Barth (FRA/B&B Hotels-KTM) in 2″
4- Milan Fritten (Belgium/Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise) in 2″
5- Clement Rousseau (FRA/Arkéa-Samsic) in 3″
…