April 07, 2019 (Oudenaarde, BEL) – Alberto Bettiol (Ita) EF Education First took home the first and biggest victory of his career winning the prestigious 270.1 km Tour of Flanders, the second Monument of the season.

It was also a day for Canada’s Hugo Houle (Astana Pro Team) to shine as he made the early break and topped Oude Kwaremont first to claim a 5,000 Euro Stig Broeckx prize that was donated by the Nationale Loterij to the honour the Lotto-Soudal rider who suffered a life-threateing crash at the Tour of Belgium in 2016. Houle awarded the prized to the rehabilitation center where Broeckx is still recovering.

“It was one of the best performances of my career,” said Houle who escaped with Damien Touzé (Cofidis), Kenneth Van Rooy (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise ) and Jesper Asselman (Roomport-Charles). “We drove hard for about 30 kilometers before we finally got away. We were in the lead for 180 kilometers before finally getting caught after the Grammont climb.”

Houle finished as the second best Astana rider despite being in the break most of the day. “It’s one of the most beautiful courses, so I was really happy to be in front and show off with the crowd. Strategically, it was difficult to take turns in the breakaway because we were only four to swap the lead,” he added.

Bettiol went on the attack on the final climb of the Oude Kwaremont, with 17km to go, and held off all the big-name chasers for an incredible career-first victory.

Results

1. Alberto Bettiol (Ita) EF Education First 6:18:49
2. Kasper Asgreen (Den) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:14
3. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) UAE Team Emirates 0:17
4. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Corendon-Circus
5. Nils Politt (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin
6. Michael Matthews (Aus) Team Sunweb
7. Oliver Naesen (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale
8. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar Team
9. Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Lotto Soudal
10. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) CCC Team
11. Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
12. Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Lotto Soudal
13. Dries Van Gestel (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
14. Wout Van Aert (Bel) Team Jumbo-Visma
15. Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) EF Education First
16. Bob Jungels (Lux) Deceuninck-QuickStep
17. Yves Lampaert (Bel) Deceuninck-QuickStep
18. Dylan van Baarle (Ned) Team Sky 0:24
19. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo 1:19
20. Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale 1:58
21. Matteo Trentin (Ita) Mitchelton-Scott
22. Jasha Sütterlin (Ger) Movistar Team
23. Damien Gaudin (Fra) Direct Energie 2:15
24. Ivan Garcia (Esp) Bahrain-Merida 2:18
25. Sep Vanmarcke (Bel) EF Education First 2:20
26. Adrien Petit (Fra) Direct Energie
27. Luke Rowe (Gbr) Team Sky
28. Arnaud Demare (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
29. John Degenkolb (Ger) Trek-Segafredo
30. Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
31. Mike Teunissen (Ned) Team Jumbo-Visma
32. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data
33. Heinrich Haussler (Aus) Bahrain-Merida
34. Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto Soudal
35. Jens Debusschere (Bel) Katusha-Alpecin
36. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Deceuninck-QuickStep
37. Aime De Gendt (Bel) Wanty-Gobert
38. Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) UAE Team Emirates
39. Loïc Vliegen (Bel) Wanty-Gobert
40. Lilian Calmejane (Fra) Direct Energie
41. Matej Mohoric (Slo) Bahrain-Merida
42. Gianni Moscon (Ita) Team Sky
43. Imanol Erviti (Esp) Movistar Team
44. Stefan Küng (Sui) Groupama-FDJ
45. Nelson Oliveira (Por) Movistar Team
46. Pieter Weening (Ned) Roompot-Charles
47. Kristijan Koren (Slo) Bahrain-Merida
48. Christian Knees (Ger) Team Sky 5:47
49. Daniel Oss (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe 6:09
50. Tom Scully (Nzl) EF Education First
51. Stijn Devolder (Bel) Corendon-Circus
52. Julien Vermote (Bel) Dimension Data 6:13
53. Marco Haller (Aut) Katusha-Alpecin 6:17
54. Silvan Dillier (Sui) AG2R La Mondiale
55. Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (RSA) Dimension Data
56. Boy van Poppel (Ned) Roompot-Charles
57. Edward Theuns (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
58. Andrea Pasqualon (Ita) Wanty-Gobert
59. Taco van der Hoorn (Ned) Team Jumbo-Visma
60. Piet Allegaert (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
61. Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel) CCC Team
62. Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned) Team Jumbo-Visma
63. Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Bahrain-Merida
64. Olivier Le Gac (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
65. Frederik Backaert (Bel) Wanty-Gobert
66. Michael Schär (Sui) CCC Team
67. Thomas Sprengers (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
68. Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Movistar Team
69. Gianni Vermeersch (Bel) Corendon-Circus
70. Bert De Backer (Bel) Vital Concept-B&B Hotel
71. Lukasz Wisniowski (Pol) CCC Team
72. Laurens De Vreese (Bel) Astana Pro Team
73. Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bel) CCC Team
74. Lukas Pöstlberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe
75. Jack Bauer (Nzl) Mitchelton-Scott
76. Ian Stannard (Gbr) Team Sky
77. Xandro Meurisse (Bel) Wanty-Gobert
78. Fernando Gaviria (Col) UAE Team Emirates
79. Viacheslav Kuznetsov (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin 8:32
80. Matti Breschel (Den) EF Education First 8:46
81. Jimmy Turgis (Fra) Vital Concept-B&B Hotel
82. Reto Hollenstein (Sui) Katusha-Alpecin
83. Owain Doull (Gbr) Team Sky
84. Marcus Burghardt (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe
85. Hugo Houle (Can) Astana Pro Team
86. Dorian Godon (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
87. Jan Tratnik (Slo) Bahrain-Merida
88. Jonas Van Genechten (Bel) Vital Concept-B&B Hotel
89. Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Direct Energie
90. Jaime Castrillo (Esp) Movistar Team
91. Otto Vergaerde (Bel) Corendon-Circus
92. Cyril Lemoine (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
93. Senne Leysen (Bel) Roompot-Charles
94. Daniil Fominykh (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
95. Luka Mezgec (Slo) Mitchelton-Scott
96. Christopher Juul Jensen (Den) Mitchelton-Scott
97. Anthony Turgis (Fra) Direct Energie
98. Filippo Ganna (Ita) Team Sky
99. Amund Grøndahl Jansen (Nor) Team Jumbo-Visma
100. Antoine Duchesne (Can) Groupama-FDJ
101. Koen de Kort (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
102. Michael Valgren Andersen (Den) Dimension Data
103. Maarten Wynants (Bel) Team Jumbo-Visma
104. Marco Marcato (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
105. Iljo Keisse (Bel) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:10:14
106. Damien Touze (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
107. Roy Curvers (Ned) Team Sunweb
108. Magnus Cort Nielsen (Den) Astana Pro Team
109. Benjamin Declercq (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
110. Stijn Steels (Bel) Roompot-Charles
111. Bert Van Lerberghe (Bel) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
112. Casper Pedersen (Den) Team Sunweb
113. Tim Declercq (Bel) Deceuninck-QuickStep
114. Ramon Sinkeldam (Ned) Groupama-FDJ
115. Juraj Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
116. Jordi Warlop (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
117. Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Dimension Data
118. Edward Planckaert (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
119. Gijs Van Hoecke (Bel) CCC Team
120. Alex Kirsch (Lux) Trek-Segafredo
121. Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor) UAE Team Emirates
122. Nico Denz (Ger) AG2R La Mondiale
123. Luis Mas Bonet (Esp) Movistar Team
124. Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe
125. Lars Bak (Den) Dimension Data 0:10:49
DNF Kenneth Vanbilsen (Bel) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
DNF Frederik Frison (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Nikolas Maes (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Lasse Norman Hansen (Den) Corendon-Circus
DNF Brian van Goethem (Ned) Lotto Soudal
DNF Lawrence Naesen (Bel) Lotto Soudal
DNF Zico Waeytens (Bel) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
DNF Roy Jans (Bel) Corendon-Circus
DNF Dries De Bondt (Bel) Corendon-Circus
DNF Lars Boom (Ned) Roompot-Charles
DNF Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Deceuninck-QuickStep
DNF Sjoerd van Ginneken (Ned) Roompot-Charles
DNF Kenneth Van Rooy (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
DNF Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Vital Concept-B&B Hotel
DNF Adrien Garel (Fra) Vital Concept-B&B Hotel
DNF Julien Morice (Fra) Vital Concept-B&B Hotel
DNF Jérémy Lecroq (Fra) Vital Concept-B&B Hotel
DNF Pim Ligthart (Ned) Direct Energie
DNF Tom Devriendt (Bel) Wanty-Gobert
DNF Ludwig De Winter (Bel) Wanty-Gobert
DNF Jesper Asselman (Ned) Roompot-Charles
DNF Taylor Phinney (USA) EF Education First
DNF Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu) Groupama-FDJ
DNF Niki Terpstra (Ned) Direct Energie
DNF Zhandos Bizhigitov (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
DNF Yevgeniy Gidich (Kaz) Astana Pro Team
DNF Danny van Poppel (Ned) Team Jumbo-Visma
DNF Davide Ballerini (Ita) Astana Pro Team
DNF Robert Stannard (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
DNF Edoardo Affini (Ita) Mitchelton-Scott
DNF Jenthe Biermans (Bel) Katusha-Alpecin
DNF Rick Zabel (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin
DNF Michael Hepburn (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott
DNF Cees Bol (Ned) Team Sunweb
DNF Filippo Fortin (Ita) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
DNF Asbjørn Kragh Andersen (Den) Team Sunweb
DNF Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions Credits
DNF Sacha Modolo (Ita) EF Education First
DNF Søren Kragh Andersen (Den) Team Sunweb
DNF Kamil Gradek (Pol) CCC Team
DNF Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Kiel Reijnen (USA) Trek-Segafredo
DNF Jasper Philipsen (Bel) UAE Team Emirates
DNF Bagdonas Gediminas (Ltu) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Julien Duval (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
DNF Jacopo Guarnieri (Ita) Groupama-FDJ
DNF Oliviero Troia (Ita) UAE Team Emirates
DNF Jay Thomson (RSA) Dimension Data
DNF Andreas Schillinger (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe
DNF Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team Sunweb