After failing to close down Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) by just a matter of metres in the final kilometre of E3 Saxo Classic, Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) said he was disappointed but "not angry" that his chasing companions "chose to gamble" instead of helping him reel back in the Dutchman.
Having already been dealt bad luck before the crucial Kortekeer and Taaienberg climbs with a mechanical, Vermeersch almost produced a comeback for the ages as he fought his way back up the groups and eventually got into a three-man attack heading into the final 30km.
