The 26-year-old made an important jump in the general classification at the end of day three.
Wednesday’s stage was the most demanding so far at the BinckBank Tour, a mix of cobbles, narrow and twisty roads, and driving rain making things really difficult for the peloton, who remained attentive at all times and allowed the breakaway to pull out a maximum lead of just three minutes, which the chasers nullified with ease around 80 kilometers from home.
Another group went clear and gained one minute over the peloton, who took its time before bringing them back to heel inside the last three kilometers. Under the flamme rouge, Alvaro Hodeg was well-positioned, but a crash with 400 meters to go slowed him down and meant that Florian Sénéchal took up sprinting duties, finishing fifth in Aalter. A winner this season at Le Samyn, Florian notched up his ninth top 10 since the beginning of the year, more than half of these coming on World Tour level.
Stage 4 will bring the first test for the GC contenders, who will start and finish in Houffalize, over a 96.2km-long stage that packs in several climbs – the most demanding being Mur de Saint-Roch (1100 meters, 11.5%) – which are expected to shake up the standings.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen/ Getty Images
