Mozzato crosses line on a cheer, teammate Amaury Capiot pushed over finish by David Dekker after hard fall

Luca Mozzato surprised friends and foes alike in the Bredene-Koksijde Classic. The Italian sprinter of Arkéa-B&B Hotels was faster than Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-Alula) and Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Wanty) and sprinted to his first victory of the season.

"I'm really happy about that," said the 26-year-old fast man in the flash interview afterward. "My season so far wasn't great, but today I made up for a lot. A race like this is very special to me because it's a big Belgian classic. So, I'm happy!"

Eventually, this one-day race ended in a bunch sprint, although not with a complete peloton. The peloton was on edge all day because of the strong wind. "That was actually the biggest problem," Mozzato says. "Everyone knew that echelons would form. That made everyone very nervous. But the team raced as much at the front as possible."

Teammate Amaury Capiot pushed across finish line by David Dekker

His team, by the way, did not come out of the battle unscathed. As they turned onto the final straight, Amaury Capiot fell, along with several other riders. With the help of teammate David Dekker, he was eventually pushed across the finish.

Still, Mozzato managed to win without Capiot's lead-out. "I knew there were more sprinters, but also more riders who could handle the high speeds well. Luckily, I was able to conserve some energy in the finale, which allowed me to have a good sprint." For Mozzato, it was his third professional victory.

Capiot is assisted by teammate and friend Dekker