Lots of cobbles on the program today and this makes the top cobblers the favourites. In especially the late cobbles will surely make it difficult for sprinters to survive against a strong Andorra team while also Valio, Minions or Podium Ambition must be named with good support for their leaders.
Early on plenty of attacks and instead of quickly forming to a bigger group, they actually went for several kilometers in small groups spending lots of energy this way.
It took almost 20km until a group of seven formed! The same riders than before: Habtom Novardianto Barthe Ulloa Velasco Nzeke Thill
In especially Velasco for Mapei is a bit of a surprise as Trentin is one of todays favourites but this way saving energy behind and potentially having a bit of support later on.
Also Polar (Bush) or Xero (Debesay/Rowe) having decent options behind.
Behind it`s actually mainly Podium Ambition and Lierse working as also at times Andorra and Minions.
In especially Keukeleire being one of those at the front for most of the time. So the team going all in for Altur here using their sprinter early as worker.
The pace by him is fast enough on all the cobbles early on that the Oude Kwaremont leads to a first selection with couple bigger names left behind!
Finding themselves in later groups are: Moulingui Debesay Chatarunga Thwaites Nooytens Jacobs Joseph Ostergaard Young
They will come back later on though, but it`s a warning for them clearly.
Also the break is getting smaller with Habtom, Novardianto, Barthe and Ulloa being the strongest 4!
Velasco and Thill a bit behind them but also the peloton not allowing them too much with just 3'30 of a gap.
Lierse (Van Aert / De Wulf)
Podium Ambition (Keukeleire / Bridges)
Andorra (Kireva)
Minions (Marcos)
are the teams/riders chasing right now with 90 km to go. Gap still at 3'30!
Once coming closer to the final 50 km and some cobbles and cobbled hills coming after some time with tarmac only, the pace goes up as Eeckhout, Edmondson, Domene and still Keukeleire are working!
Altur really must feel well today, otherwise the team`s effort couldn`t be explained differently.
Behind you can see that teh group of still ~130 riders is opening some gaps, which means the first 60 including the top favourites, another 22 with some decent cobblers and then 50 riders in the end struggling a lot.
Surprisingly again couple of decent cobblers in both of the struggling groups.
In especially Debesay, Naesen, Kristoff not ideally placed.
Many riders made it back again on the hills but it always is energy spent unnecessarily.
With 35 km to go and one of the last bigger climbs, 58 riders are in the first group.
Behind them a group of 13 including Debesay, Kristoff, Young, Okbarmariam, Naesen, Havik, Insausti, Jacobs and another group behind Schreurs or Thwaites.
In the breakaway just 2 riders are still ahead. But as the gap goes down to 1min only, Novardianto decides to go solo! He has a good engine on the flat and did win stages like this before.
Barthe as only other can`t follow.
25km and for the first time the favourites show up!
Breen moving into the lead kind of accelerating, behind him Summerhill and Trentin while Podium Ambition and Minions have several helpers there to chase for their leaders!
6km later though Breen with the next acceleration and this time it`s more an attack. He immediately is followed by several riders! Vanbilsen Vanspeybrouck Altur Zepuntke Trentin Nolf Baugnies Bush Daniel Maes
right behind with no gap yet though to the others!
At the very end of that group of 30 the US jersey! And this one is worn by Summerhill!
Just checking how others are doing or a sign of weakness?
Just a small gap behind still lots of riders chasing hard to make it back including Kristoff, Naesen, Debesay. All in need to work already in the wind!
Some gaps are opening now while the groups behind merge again with the "sprinters" finally back in group Summerhill.
In the lead now
Daniel
Baugnies
Bush
Nolf
Moulingui
+12s
Vanbilsen
Zepuntke
Altur
Vanspeybrouck
Trentin
Van Lerberghe
Breen
As you can see by this, Novardianto is finally caught as well, no longer having a chance to win today!
Right now the situation changes with every kilometer!
13 km to the finish and just one long cobble sector left, Vanbilsen and Baugnies in the lead ahead of a group of 10.
Summerhill still only in group 3, which is the big surprise today. At least Vanspeybrouck seems to be in good form and is not asked to wait today while Machado clearly wasn`t a big support today as also Dahl-Olsen and Eeckhout are further ahead right now.
Summerhill though wouldn`t have won that much in the past if he couldn`t recover!
2 km later he himself has pulled the full group of "sprinters" to the group around Altur, Vanspeybrouck, Trentin etc.
Only the duo still ahead.
But also those are in danger to be caught again as Summerhill is moving directly into the lead and pulling alongside Trentin and Altur!
Sprinterwise once again Saber being strongest and being the only one staying with the top cobblers.
This means Kristoff, Naesen, Rowe, Havik, Van Asbroeck, Young are all dropped again!
This time though riders such as Debesay, Maes able to stay with the best.
Back to regular Summerhill!
The US star not only catching the duo in front but now keeps going after the last paves and only 4 riders are with him!
Trentin - Vanbilsen - Bush - Baugnies!
Just seconds behind a group around Altur and Vanspeybrouck with Daniel and Nolf as well in there.
Then a group around Debesay and Breen while Saber has been dropped on that final sector, which also goes for Zepuntke!
As Breen still has a strong support in Van der Haar, the chances to make it back might be a bit higher.
The German once was one of the biggest cobble prospects, except for a few results here and there he never really lived up to early expectations.
Right now fighting more for a top15-20 today it seems.
5km to go and just when the first two groups merged again, Bush attacks. He is normally a decent sprinter from small groups, but so are most riders here and couple are clearly stronger such as Trentin or Daniel!
No one following immediately and so there is a gap of ~20s now.
Meanwhile some riders make it back including Breen, Maes, Van Lerberghe and Nolf.
That said, there still is a very small gap a bit later when Vanbilsen accelerated a tiny bit and it might be hard for Breen to really go for the win still.
2.2 km and Bush is basically caught on the left site. Still in the first position with Trentin starting the sprint with Vanbilsen and Summerhill right behind.
Then a small gap with Altur sprinting next ahead of Baugnies, Daniel, Nolf and Vanspeybrouck.
1.5km and now Bush is really on par with Trentin! Can the Italian though keep his sprint up until the end?
All other riders behind still waiting with only Vanbilsen in the wind.
1km and Trentin just like Bush is going backwards!
Vanbilsen now in the unwanted first position just in front of Summerhill, who now looks best again.
Altur - Baugnies - Vanspeybrouck and also a fast Daniel behind.
600m and Trentin back in sprint mode! He is next to Summerhill and Vanbilsen for the win!
Bush as well still having a bit of energy dropping Nolf and also Baugnies, Altur, Daniel, Vanspeybrouck having a bit of a gap now.
In especially Daniel and Altur are a bit surprising.
The trio Breen, Maes, Van Lerberghe did fight for a long time but couldn`t make it back fully.
In especially Breen, who did attack twice earlier might have lost the race podium by this too early moves.
Back to the front a surprise!
Summerhill struggling from the perfect position. So his earlier struggle might not be played and he really is on a bad day!
Instead Trentin back into hte lead with Vanbilsen in 2nd.
Vanspeybrouck being fast as well now with Bush/Nolf sprinting alongside Baugnies and Summerhill.
Altur and Daniel still surprisingly slow in that sprint.
The Belgian co-leader from Andorra might actually rescue the race for them as he is fastest right now with 300m to go.
Vanbilsen not looking to have anything left while Trentin did a lot of first position riding already.
But it`s enough for the Mapei leader!
He starts to celebrate knowing, no one is able to pass him anymore.
It was a weird sprint but apparently just forcing others to move into the first position to give him some more time to really start his sprint.
And so the 5th year in a row the better sprinters from the cobbled favourites take the KBK win!
Vanspeybrouck was close to make it a triple here after 2011 and 2015! But he must be happy with 2nd ahead of Vanbilsen.
Summerhill "only" 4th! If this is what he is able to do when on clearly a very bad day, then well...not too bad, in especially when your team mate is 2nd as well. Strong scoring from Andorra here even without a win.
Baugnies ahead of Nolf following with Bush in 7th still decent, in especially after his attempt earlier. Maybe he should have waited for a podium, but no chance to know before.
Altur in 8th and Daniel in 9th clearly struggled in the end surprisingly and might be disappointed.
Maes takes 10th in the sprint of 3 with Van Lerberghe in 11th and Breen "only" 12th. Surely had hoped for more.
Tsatsevich a bit later in 13th coming solo before the next group.
Owan as next bet rider from Podium Ambition on a strong 14th with Van der Haar, Fereira and Debesay next. Some clearly would have liked to fight for the top5-10 today.
Same for all the sprinters in hte next group coming in at 2'03, where Van Asbroeck wins the sprint for 18th ahead of Matthews, Edmondson, Domene. So good depth scoring from Podium Ambition at least while Kristoff, Saber, Young, Rowe can`t be too happy and neither Zepuntke at 34th only or Havik at 39th!
