Criterium du Dauphine stage six winner Jan Bakelants (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) is certainly well-equipped to follow in Jens Voigt’s tyre-marks having spent the previous two years on the same team as the German. Now with Pat Lefevere’s Belgian super team, Bakelants has shown the profits of such an experience with some fiercely strong rides in the breakaways this year.

Bakelants truly announced himself on the world stage with his stunning Tour de France stage win last year, attacking late the Belgian held off the peloton to not only win the stage but move into the yellow jersey.

And to say his first Omega Pharma-Quickstep victory was coming too would be an understatement. It was the superb work of Bakelants which set up Tony Martin’s Tour of the Basque Country stage win – the Belgian burning their fellow escapees and covering any attempt to attack Martin. He followed it with third from the break on the final day of the Tour de Romandie and now has his first win.

The win itself was another example of his growing experience and stature too, the last of the three men to make the race-winning counter-attack, Bakelants out-thought and out-sprinted Westra at the death to take the stage win. His Omega Pharma-Quickstep drought is over; expect it to be the first win of many.