Staple’s Projectbouw Borgonjon rider Oliver Robinson wins four of five sprint races at Belsele in Belgium

Cyclist Oliver Robinson’s recent good form continued with three more excellent results.

A fast 158km run in Belsele, near Lokeren in Belgium, saw Robinson, 23, sixth in 3h26min39sec, just behind Belgian winner Loockx Lander.

But Robinson was impressive winning four of the five sprints to claim the sprint standings ahead of Projectbouw Borgonjon teammate Thomas Dhooge.

The Romsee-Stavelot-Romsee race, near Liège, was another matter.

At 160km and with 2,500m of elevation gain, the race was first held in 1949 and is seen as preparation for the Belgian national championships. Notable participants include Philippe Gilbert – the 2012 road racing world champion who also won stages in each of the three cycling Grand Tours.

Robinson’s role was to work for his team and he finished in a much reduced field, with Lander winning again.

Best of all for Robinson was second place in Beveren.

The 113km race involved 18 laps of a flat 6km course around the small town, just west of Antwerp, at an incredibly fast average speed of 45km/h.

Robinson, from Staple near Wingham, said: “I think I should have won that race.

“I felt the best of my life all year and I was always in front. Eventually it came down to the 10-rider sprint.

“The guy who won (Belgian Sven Noels) saw that I was faster and getting on his outside, and he closed the gap.”