Cycling: Belgian Tiesj Benoot wins Strade Bianche

The Belgian professional cyclist Tiesj Benoot won the Strade Bianche one-day race in Tuscany for the first time. The 23-year-old from Team Lotto-Soudal won the Italian classic over 184 km with start and finish at Siena after an escape and 5:03:33 hours.

In the past two years, Benoot had finished eighth in each case. The Frenchman Romain Bardet (AG2R/39 seconds back) and Benoot’s compatriot Wout Van Aert (Veranda’s Willems/+58) completed the podium at the race, which partly covered unpaved gravel roads.