Juan Antonio Flecha Kris Boeckmans Björn Leukemans Bert Jan Lindeman Marco Marcato Wouter Mol Mirko Selvaggi Frederik Veuchelen
The first cobble classic in the season, and we are riding more or less with our cobble team. JA will get his first chance to shine in 2013, and Vacansoleil wants us to get a top 3. This will be hard though, as the whole cobbles elite are here.
After a hard start of the race, one man got away alone;Yohann Gene from Europcar became the breakaway. Behind Radioshack and Omega Pharma had control in the peloton, and set up the pace on every cobble section, so the peloton were really outstretched in the heavy wind.
With 35 kilometres and 4 cobbles sections left, a group of 22 got away. JA did not manage to get into this, but Mirko, Marco, Kris and Björn were in the group for Vacansoleil. Nearly all of the best cobblers were in the front, but JA got help by Lars Boom and Sep Vanmarcke in group 2. Still it would be difficult to catch the front, where Omega Pharma Quick Step relayed with Stybar and Chavanel.
On the fourth last cobble three men attacked from the front group: Fabian Cancellara, Filippo Pozzato and Andre Greipel.
Then BMC decided to help OPQS in the follower group, and Stybar, Chavanel, Hushovd and Ballan in relay means power. On the third last section Tom Boonen,Greg Van Avermaet, Sep Vanmarcke and Björn tried to get up to the front. The first three managed to get up, and Björn ended up alone between the 6 in front and the peloton, which stopped relaying after the last attacks.
Björn gave up the chase and prepared for 7th, as Sep Vanmarcke were dropped in front. With 10 kilometres left the group were splitted with Boonen first, Cancellara 20 seconds behind, Ballan 30 and Van Avermaet/Greipel 50 seconds behind. Boonen ended up with an outstanding victory, while Cancellara was 2nd.. Greipel crushed Van Avermaet in the sprint, and also managed to take on Pozzato to get 3rd. Björn ended up as 7th, and Flecha 10th. Not completely what we had hoped for, but still a good performance by the team.
1. Tom Boonen
2. Fabian Cancellara +39
3. Andre Greipel +47
4. Filippo Pozzato +47
5. Greg Van Avermaet +58
6. Sep Vanmarcke +3.11 7. Björn Leukemans +5.00
8. Mathieu Ladagnous +7.29
9. Gregory Rast +7.29 10. Juan Antonio Flecha +7.29
14. Kris Boeckmans +7.29
28. Mirko Selvaggi +7.29
38. Marco Marcato +7.29
44. Bert Jan Lindeman +7.29
54. Wouter Mol +9.28
57. Frederik Veuchelen +9.28
Juan Antonio Flecha Kris Boeckmans Björn Leukemans Bert Jan Lindeman Marco Marcato Wouter Mol Mirko Selvaggi Frederik Veuchelen
We have the same team as yesterday, but although this is no sponsor goal, we hope for better results. The startlist and the favourites were about the same as yesterday, but Filippo Pozzato had decided to skip the Kuurne. On the other hand Sebastian Langeveld and Heinrich Haussler skipped yesterdays race, but will take part here.
A big breakaway of 11 got away early, and it included Ramon Sinkeldam (Argos), Iljo Keisse (Omega Pharma), Jasper De Buyst (Topsport Vlaandereren), Salvatore Puccio (Sky), Yoeri Havik (De Rijke), Wouter Wippert (3M), Andy Cappelle (Accent), Nico Sijmens (Cofidis), Justin Van Hoecke (Wallonnie), Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) and Maarten Neyens (Lotto). Surprising that Keisse managed to get in the break for Omega Pharma Quick Step.
The peloton were splitted on the cobbles section, but the pace was not hard enough to reel in the breakaway, so when Sep Vanmarcke attacked, JA were quickly on his wheel. When Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara joined the break, we understood that this could work. But still the gap to the early breakaway were 1.40 with 10 kilometres to the finish line.
A very surprising win to Wouter Wippert ended the Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne ahead of Yoeri Havik. JA would have been 3rd without the breakaway, but only ended up 17th.
Björn Leukemans Kris Boeckmans Wesley Kreder Bert Jan Lindeman Wouter Mol Mirko Selvaggi Frederik Veuchelen Willem Wauters
Now we do want a win. We have been close in the last races, and the starting field were much weaker than in Omloop and Kuurne. Björn showed good shape in these races, and will be our define leader; we are going for the victory. JA and Marco will have a break, but without them we have still one of the best teams.
Todays break included Brent Bookwalter, Ben Gastauer, Serge Pauwels, Fabio Taborre, Danilo Napolitano, Gilles Devillers, Alphonse Vermote and Bas Stamsnijder. They did get 5 minutes, but we controlled the peloton ourselves.
Starting on the last lap inside Dour, the break was caught and Björn launched an attack. He got a gap together with Geraint Thomas of Sky.
Unfortunately Blanco still had helpers in the peloton, and Björn were reeled in with only hundred meters left to the finish. One more race where we are close, but still far from the win.
1. Maarten Wynants
2. Bernhard Eisel
3. Koen De Kort
4. Borut Bozic
5. Oscar Gatto
6. Maxim Iglinskiy 7. Kris Boeckmans
8. Nico Sijmens 9. Björn Leukemans
10. Stijn Vandenbergh
43. Bert Jan Lindeman
88. Mirko Selvaggi
152. Wouter Mol +3.22
154. Frederik Veuchelen +3.22
155. Willem Wauters +4.09
168. Wesley Kreder +6.43
Kris Boeckmans Wesley Kreder Bert-Jan Lindeman Wouter Mol Mirko Selvaggi Danny Van Poppel Frederik Veuchelen Willem Wauters
Not a prioritized race for us, gives a chance for Kris to shine. Danny is maybe our strongest rider, but this is his first race in the season, so we will see how his shape is. Maybe he can work as a lead-out.
To our surprise this was not a prioritized race for anyone (first season will be played without the patch) so as the only world tour team, Vacansoleil was one of the strongest teams taking part. This could be a success.
Stage 1:
An 11 kilometres long time trial was the start of this race. None of our riders were particularly good in time trialling, but none of the other riders participating were either. Coen Vermeltfoort was one of the first starters and had the lead for long, but were far away when Dominique Cornu passed the finishing line. Only Jimmy Engoulvent was better than him on the intermediate point, but when the last riders had headwind on the last kilometres Cornu ended up with a secure win, 11 seconds in front of Engoulvent, and 21 before Omar Fraile in 3rd. Wouter ended up as our best in 72nd, 57 seconds behind Cornu. One word to describe the stage for us: Disastrous.
Stage 2:
A big breakaway including Davide Rebellin went early. The peloton was leaded by us, as we did not want the breakaway to get away. Sojasun and Caja Rural were helpful, and made the day much easier for us, by helping in the relay. Topsport and Cornu were nowhere to see in the front. When the break was caught the peloton stopped completely, and Willem took the opportunity to attack. Coen Vermeltfoort was quickly on his wheel, and when Willem cracked on the last metres, he held away to the line. Kris took 3rd, beaten by Nicolas Vereecken in the sprint. Also Danny were 6th.
Stage 3:
It would be hard to take the jersey from Cornu on the last flat stage, but Crelan made it a chance by attacking with two men, Frederic Amorison and Maxime Vantomme was todays break. They did never have more than 1 minute, as the peloton pushed hard, and were catched 15 kilometres before the line. A great lead-out by Wesley, meant that Danny and Kris had the two best positions in for the sprint, but even with this, Kris has to wait even longer in the season for victory. Roy Jans grabbed it in the last 10 metres. Coen Vermeltfoort was 3rd, Sondre Holst Enger 4th and Danny became 7th. After the horrible prologue no Vacansoleil rider was in the top in the GC.
GC:
1. Dominique Cornu
2. Coen Vermeltfoort +2
3. Jimmy Engoulvent +11
4. Roy Jans +13
5. Omar Fraile +21
6. Christophe Kern +22
7. Nikolay Mihaylov +27
8. Steven Van Vooren +29
9. Adam Phelan +30
10. Huub Duyn +32
70. Kris Boeckmans +57
Points:
1. Coen Vermeltfoort 50 2. Kris Boeckmans 36
3. Roy Jans 31
4. Dominique Cornu 25
5. Jimmy Engoulvent 21
KOM:
1. Rens Te Stroet 10
2. Bruno Langlois 10
3. Kevin Peeters 8
4. Davide Rebellin 5
5. Oliver Hofstetter 3
Youth:
1. Coen Vermeltfoort
2. Roy Jans +11
3. Omar Fraile +19
4. Nikolay Mihaylov +25
5. Adam Phelan +28
Juan Antonio Flecha
Kris Boeckmans
Bert Jan Lindeman
Marco Marcato
