British talent joins van Aert and Evenepoel—but why did he ride with them? "Otherwise, I would have been toast"

Evenepoel and Van Aert, the two top favorites for the Brabantse Pijl, broke away 48 kilometers from the finish. One man closed the gap: the young Blackmore, defending champion in the Tour de l'Avenir and fourth last year in the Brabantse Pijl, as a domestique for Dylan Teuns. Together, they continued.

The British rider decided to join them immediately. Why? "I needed to catch my breath, and from that moment on, I rode full throttle at the front. That's the only right thing to do at a moment like that," said Blackmore. "I didn't hesitate to ride with them. If I hadn't, they would have attacked me, and I would have been toast anyway."

The young Israel-Premier Tech rider eventually crossed the finish line in 42nd place but was nevertheless smiling from ear to ear. "It was really cool. You have to try it," he said proudly. "I felt strong, but they have just a little more stamina than I do. For me, it was one lap too much."

"I have to be proud. I can be very pleased with the fact that I was up there with them for now," said Blackmore, who will also compete in the Ardennes triptych. "Hopefully, I can also show myself in the upcoming races."

Recently, he has also competed in most of the Flemish races. “I wanted to try everything and get used to the way of racing in Belgium. Hopefully, the races that suit me best are coming up," he concludes.