Daniel McLay (Arkea) and Sam Welsford (DSM) sprinted side by side towards the finish. Belgian sprint talent Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Soudal) tried to squeeze through, but couldn’t, after which he and McLay hit the ground with a few meters to go and many other riders tumbled over them. Especially De Lie seemed to be in bad shape. The 20-year-old sprinter stayed on the asphalt for a long time. The doctors were there to help him. He has been taken to hospital and will not start in the second leg. He is said to have no fractures, but does have a concussion.
Welsford stayed upright and crossed the line first. However, the jury decided to declassify him. As a result, the victory went to the Dutch sprinter Arvid de Kleijn (Human Powered Health). Nils Eekhoff, Welsford’s teammate, was third and Bram Welten seventh. It is the fifth victory of his career and the first of 2022 for 28-year-old De Kleijn.
According to Lotto-Soudal, Welsford’s declassification is a minimal penalty. “We have filed a complaint,” said sports director Nikolas Maes. “If this isn’t deliberately driving someone to the ground, then I don’t know anything about it. If someone is faster, you have to let them pass and not try to stop them.”