"I’m happy with this second place", Veenhoven said afterwards. "The team did a brilliant job by taking control in the final lap and getting me into a comfortable position heading into the last kilometre. In the sprint, I chose to follow Charlotte’s wheel, and in hindsight, that was the right choice. I was boxed in for a bit too long, which meant I couldn’t sprint at full speed straight away. All in all, I have a good feeling about this."

It came as no surprise that the sixth edition of the Flemish spring classic ended in a bunch sprint. Team Visma | Lease a Bike controlled the final part of the race and guided Veenhoven comfortably into the final. The youngster made a strong push in the final metres, but didn’t manage to outsprint Kool.

"We can certainly be pleased with second place", sports director Jos van Emden said. "We’ve been working for a while to get the team on the same page for a sprint. It often didn’t work out, but it did this time. The train stayed together, everyone was committed to their task and Nienke was able to sprint. Those are the three things that need to go right in a race. The fact that it’s worked out now makes me very happy. Compliments to the whole team."