A traditional part of the Flemish cobbles calendar, Dwars door Vlaanderen returned from an eight year hiatus last year with the same core identity. A difficult but not completely leg shattering race featuring several cobbles sections, short climbs, and a flat paved finish.
We expect two possibilities here. Like last year, the top cobbled riders could break the race apart early enough to create gaps and push away their weaker counterparts. Or, some strong sprinters could survive the cobbles and win from a reduced peloton. The latter hasn't happened for quite some time (though the race wasn't held for much of that time, so that doesn't mean much).
Cobbles Specialists
Flat
Hill
Sta
Res
Cob
Spr
Acc
Richardson
71
67
68
68
78
60
61
Sanogo
73
71
71
72
76
69
70
Van Lerberghe
73
65
73
72
76
74
71
Monk
74
66
76
70
76
61
70
Teggart
73
69
76
73
76
72
70
Yechezkel
74
64
71
72
76
64
73
Mestric
73
70
69
70
76
55
65
Boros
72
72
71
67
76
63
64
Chatarunga
71
66
77
70
76
69
66
Manamalage
80
58
69
62
76
56
54
Ariesen
75
68
74
73
75
70
71
Campbell
74
68
69
68
75
68
73
Roosen
74
71
71
73
75
66
71
Scotson
72
63
73
70
75
66
75
Kuroeda
71
69
74
75
75
75
71
De Witte
74
68
75
72
75
71
69
Vermeersch
76
69
72
76
74
73
70
Nielsen
75
67
71
75
74
73
71
Noppe
75
69
74
73
73
75
73
Kaislavuo
73
70
73
73
73
67
72
Basso
73
72
78
73
73
71
69
Last year, Teggart solo'd away to victory, and he's back to repeat this year. He doesn't necessarily need another long range attack either, as he has one of the best finishing kicks among the top contenders.
Van Lerberghe finished 3rd here last year and is perhaps the rider best suited to the course. His sprint is strong, and the hills on this course should be far enough from the finish not to scare him too much. No support whatsoever though.
The best cobbles rider here is Chequan Richardson, and he showed that by winning the Tour de Faso last week. But this is a very different race than Faso, with far fewer cobbles of much less difficulty. It seems likely his poor sprint, climbing, and energy stats will overcome his cobblestone prowess here.
Boros has won two C2 classics already this season, and his teammate De Witte also wore the leader's jersey in the Tour du Faso, so they could be a dangerous duo. But it's clear from the list above that many other riders have similar skillsets, and could do just as well here with good legs.
Leonardo Basso has been a revelation this year, consistently scoring top placings due to his versatility and endurance. And why not here too? I'm not gonna nitpick his skillset when he continues to show it's fit for competing at a top level on any course.
It's also worth mentioning those with particularly strong sprinting abilities. Kuroeda has the strongest amongst the classics rider who would otherwise be expected to compete here, and he'll be hoping for a group sprint of some kind in the finale. This level of difficulty might be his ideal course. Likewise for Vermeersch, Nielsen, Noppe, and Batmunkh.
Sprinters
Flat
Hill
Sta
Res
Cob
Spr
Acc
Walscheid
73
63
71
74
61
79
79
Plowright
74
60
70
73
66
78
76
Harrison
71
66
72
69
72
77
80
Major
74
66
74
70
70
77
78
Stash
73
64
68
73
67
77
77
Alaphilippe
71
72
73
68
64
76
76
Hennis
70
70
71
72
69
75
76
Sprinters are hoping this race plays out uncharacteristically casually, leaving them a chance to show off their speed in the final kilometer. Some fast men, like Walscheid, Plowright, Stash, and Alaphilippe are really hoping for a prayer, as they tend to struggle on cobbled roads and would need a very passive race to survive. Harrison, Major, and Hennis have a much better chance to survive the cobbles based on their skillsets and recent history.
Hoping for another Basso performances doesn't look the most selective on paper so hoping the better sprinters are gone and he can make a late move seems the most likely route
