New Zealander Laurence Pithie may have ended the second major cobbled Classic of his young career at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne in 43rd place, on the face of it, a fairly anonymous result, but the number on the results sheet was some way from telling the story of his Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.
The 21-year-old, who turned pro with Groupama-FDJ last year, was one of the riders out front over the 'hill zone' mid-section of the race. He'd break away alongside the eventual podium trio Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease A Bike), Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates), and Oier Lazkano (Movistar) on the cobbled climb of Mont Saint Laurent 87km from the line.
