Segaert Stuns Wellens to Win First Belgian Time Trial Title as Claes Lands the Women's Crown
There was a major upset against the clock in Belgium on Friday as Alec Segaert denied red-hot favourite Tim Wellens to claim his first elite Belgian time trial championship. Riding for Bahrain Victorious, the 22-year-old held his nerve on a course shortened in the day's heat to edge the reigning national champion by just six seconds, completing a memorable afternoon for his team.
Wellens, who heads to the Tour de France as one of UAE Team Emirates-XRG's most versatile engines, had been expected to retain the tricolour jersey he wears with such pride. Instead the Bahrain pairing dominated the podium: Segaert took gold, Wellens settled for silver, and Segaert's teammate Vlad van Mechelen completed the all-Bahrain bracket around Wellens in third.
For Segaert it is the breakthrough national result his progression has promised. Long regarded as one of the most accomplished young time triallists in the peloton, the West Fleming has steadily turned under-23 dominance into senior-level results, and a tricolour skinsuit is the kind of statement that announces a rider ready to challenge the established order in the discipline.
The narrow margin sparked plenty of debate, with the decision to trim the course in response to the conditions raising the question of whether Wellens — typically stronger the longer and harder the effort — might have prevailed over a full distance. Either way, the result is a timely confidence boost for Bahrain Victorious heading into the Grand Départ, and a reminder that Wellens arrives in Barcelona in sharp form even in defeat.
The women's championship produced its own surprise. Lotte Claes, of Fenix-Premier Tech, powered to the title ahead of Sandrine Tas and Margot Vanpachtenbeke, reshaping the pecking order of the Belgian women's time trial scene. The biggest talking point, though, was the name in fourth: Lotte Kopecky, the most decorated rider in the field, was beaten on a day when the specialists rose to the occasion.
With elite road races still to come across Europe this weekend — Italy's championship rolling out over 232.5km from Asti to Cuneo on Saturday — the national championships continue to serve as the final competitive sharpener before the bunch reassembles in Barcelona. For Segaert, a tricolour time trial jersey is the perfect souvenir to carry into July.