Robert Stannard (Alpecin-Desseuninck) rode through a hectic cobbled stage without incident to take the overall win at the 2.Pro Tour de Wallonie on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old Australian, who started with BikeExchange's development program in 2017, has been on the podium many times before but never made the top step.

But after finishing third behind Julian Alaphilippe (Quick Step-Alphaville) and Alex Alainblue (Movistar) on the first stage to Uy, Stannard opened up GC possibilities, and a fourth-place finish on the second stage put him on top. Nevertheless, the GC battle remained fierce until the final stage, with three riders within 8 seconds of Stannard before the fifth and final stage.

"I came here to win, but I didn't expect it to turn out like this," Stannard said in a race media release.

Winning the 215km to Chapelle-les-Elaimons was no easy task, with seven cobblestone sections, plus a number of crashes and mechanical problems. Twenty-three riders were unable to finish the race.

Stannard, on the other hand, not only escaped, but also finished second behind Jan Bakelants (Intermarché Wanty-Gobert Materio) to claim his second stage podium, overall win, and both points and youth awards in this Tour.

"I'm very happy with how everything went," said Stannard, who moved to Alpecin-Desseuninck from the Bike Exchange WorldTour team at the start of this season. "I had to manage the risks on the cobblestone sections. I have never experienced such a stressful race in my career"

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Having broken the top step, Stannard hopes his run will continue at the Vuelta a España (Stannard has three stages in the top 10 in 2020) and beyond.

"I hope this victory will be a turning point in my career," Stannard said. My next goal is the Vuelta and I want to win a stage."