Sergent leads pro tour cycling event in Belgium

New Zealand cyclist Jesse Sergent remains in the tour leader’s jersey after the first stage of the Driedaagse van Westvlaanderen in Belgium today.

This follows Sergent’s win for his Radioshack pro tour team in the opening prologue where his fellow kiwi teammate Sam Bewley was third.

Sergent, the Commonwealth Games pursuit silver medallist, took out his first pro tour win in the prologue with a superb 8:14 for the 7km flat course.

His teammates Sebastien Rosseler and Rotorua’s Bewley were second and third with the same time, 10 seconds behind Sergent.

"This is my first pro victory," Sergent told Cycling News. "What a feeling. This is pretty special and I am happy to give back something to the people who have believed in me.”

Sergent finished in the peloton in the opening stage over 174km from Brugge to Bellegem including sections over the famed cobbles, won in a sprint finish by John Degenkolb of HTC Highroad. Sergent remains in the lead on general classification with Bewley 10 seconds back in a share of second place.

The BikeNZ pair are expected to join the New Zealand team for next month’s UCI World Track Championships in the Netherlands.