De Pooter Victorious in Poperinge

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By Chad Childers
01 Sep 22

The Hagens Berman Axeon Cycling Team claimed the first victory at the 2022 Flanders Tomorrow Tour with Dries de Pooter winning stage 1 from a bunch sprint.

“I’ve felt good all season and am consistently there in the final, but haven’t gotten the win until today,” said Dries. “Some races I’ve been isolated or boxed out, others a bit of bad luck, but this time everything went well.”

Consistent is an understatement. Dries has an astounding 13 top ten finishes this season, but until today the top step has eluded him.

“The race went over the famous Kemmelberg twice,” said sport director Koos Moerenhout. “The last time, a break of 12 went. Dries, Toby and Ivan were present and worked hard to stay away from the chasing peloton. Ivan did a final strong pull in the last kilometer and Dries delivered in a strong way.”

"It was thanks to Ivan Romeo who set me up perfectly,” said Dries. “I followed him easily, I felt strong. I thought to myself that they were going to have to work if they wanted to beat me. I'm happy to be able to conclude the work of my teammates. It's a way of thanking them for believing in me."

Teammates Ivan Romeo and Toby Perry finished the stage in 7th and 12th places respectively. The Flanders Tomorrow Tour continues Friday with three stages left to race.

Dries de Pooter photo by James Odvart - DirectVelo

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