Welcome to the first HC cobbled race of the season! Summerhill dominated last year, but isn’t around anymore. These ten riders are the favourites for the win.
A break of 13 reaches the first out of 24 cobbled sectors of the day after the first half hour of racing. The riders in the break are Verwilst, Bercz, Arashiro, Gani, Nych, Tediashvili, Ardila, Kireva, Suter, Jans, Krigbaum, Maccagli and Hennessy. A group of three riders is 35” behind them: Vahtra, Leknessund and Rowe. The peloton is only an additional 30” behind, the teams working there are Podium Ambition, Team UBS, Bralirwa – Stevens, Eurosport x GCN and Minions.
Leknessund and Rowe get caught by the peloton, as Vahtra is the only one able to reach the first group. After the first cobbled sector we already see six weaker cobblers being dropped in the peloton as well. At the front of the race Ardila and Suter, who performed very well in last season’s U23 Paris – Roubaix, are both mentioned in trouble.
But both of them manage to get back to the leading group, which now exists out of 14 riders. 1/4th of the race done as we hit the second cobbled sector with 150 km to go. The peloton now at 3’. A lot of similarly strong cobblers in the first group, but on paper Doulingo’s Vahtra is the best one.
We’re almost halfway the race as our fourteen leaders reach the legendary Muur van Geraardsbergen with an advantage of 2’20” over the peloton. Krigbaum, Maccagli and Ardila are dropped at the front, but use the descent afterwards to come back. Not the Carlsberg rider though, he seems done.
Some riders know they won’t be good enough to hold on and get away in the finale and attack with 100 km to go. For Voyagin we see both Shiki and Saya Kuroeda, the other riders are Havik, Van der Haar, Garcia Cortina and Lecourt De Billot.
Whereas the six chasers, except for Havik, join the leading group, we have now seen Maccagli and Ardila dropped from the lead of the race for good with 85 km to go. This means we have a leading group of seventeen riders. De Gendt and Havik are 50” behind the leading group, and at an additional 15” we can see Van Asbroeck and Merlier. The peloton follows at an additional 30”.
Van Asbroeck and Merlier have made it 19 leaders with 78 km to the finish line, as both De Gendt and Havik were blown back and caught by the peloton of 50 riders, at 1’15” of the leading group. Still the same teams as in the beginning of the race setting the pace in the peloton. Bolivar, Breen, Owen and Bohli not in the peloton of 50 at the moment, but in the group of eleven right behind them.
70 km left and Van Asbroeck and Merlier have already paid the price for their efforts, as they’re already back in the peloton now. Lecourt De Billot and Gani have also been dropped in the leading group. 15 riders have an advantage of 50” over the peloton, where Schoonbroodt is really upping the pace. Bolivar and Owen the best cobblers not in the peloton of 47. Sprinter Halvorsen also not able to follow the pace anymore.
With 60 km to the finish line it looks like Belgian champion Boeckmans won’t be victorious in his home country, as he and also Insausti are dropped! The leading group has been reduced to 13 riders as Hennessy and Verwilst were unable to follow the pace. A peloton of 39 still 50” behind the 13 leaders. Interesting to note is that Zepuntke is currently at the back of the peloton! Is the constant climbing too much for him?
Another tough cobbled uphill sector with 55 km left, still 11 to come after this one, all close after one another! Seven leaders left: Kireva, Garcia Cortina, Jans, the two Kuroeda’s, Van der Haar and Jansen for Aker – MOT. The Norwegian must have been at the front for a while, but the race direction totally missed it! Zepuntke once again not looking good at all at the back of the peloton!
It’s getting very hectic as there are many cobbled sectors close to one another! 50 km to go and this is the race situation. Leading group of four ( Shiki Kuroeda, Jansen, Kireva and Garcia Cortina). 3 chasers at 25” ( Saya Kuroeda, Jans and Van der Haar) and a group of favourites of 19 led by Kulppi at an additional 15”. Other names in this group of favourites are Blythe, Bohli, Sweeck, Altur, Okbamariam, Stallaert, Vanbilsen, Spengler, Trentin, Ngandamba, Zepuntke, Baugnies, Anderberg, Breen, Lampaert, Noppe, Daniel and Bush. The three riders right behind that group of favourites are Fenn, Sibilla and Peng.
Kireva is feeling good and attacks! He has a 45” lead over the rest of the attackers now, as there are 43 km to go. Blythe did a big turn on the cobbled sector and reeled in some attackers, but was unable to really drop anyone.
There are barely any domestiques left with 39 km to go, and we see names like Stallaert and Altur also cautiously taking turns now. Anderberg thinks this is the perfect moment to attack and that is exactly what he does. Garcia Cortina is 25” ahead of him, Kireva another 40”.
The two breakaway riders clearly at the end of their forces, as Anderberg is at the head of the race with 34 km left! Lampaert and Kulppi now on domestique duties in the group of favourites, which is trailing by 55”.
Lampaert breaks open the field with a big turn! He reduces the gap towards sole leader Anderberg to 25” with 30 km to the finish line, only few riders are able to follow him! These are Spengler, Blythe, Stallaert and Daniel! Both Altur and Trentin were also able to follow but got blocked by Kireva on the cobbles! Can they get back?
Lampi gives everything he has and gets dropped right before the final cobbled sector with 20 km to go! Anderberg close to getting caught by the four others, but if he can hold on that would be great for Aker – MOT. The difference between the group of four favourites and Altur, Trentin and also Bush is currently 50”!
But Anderberg is unable to follow the pace set by the big four and is already half a minute behind with 15 km left! The group Altur at 55” of the leading group, while all other riders are currently at almost two minutes of the group Altur itself.
Final 10 km! The lead of the four at the front is getting bigger. 45” to Anderberg, an additional 25” to these three. Lampaert still in ninth at 30” of the group Altur, then we have to wait 1’30” for the next group of 12 riders to come by. At the head of the race, Spengler clearly has the worst sprint, so he should try something.
But he is not doing anything just yet! Only 4.3 km left, their advantage has grown a bit more, still working together and not looking at each other.
Only 2 km to the finish line! Has the UBS rider made peace with a fourth place, or is he just so confident that the others are dead and he is the only one with energy left? In the background, we see Bush accelerate towards a possible fifth place!
As Vanbilsen attacks in search of a top-10, the sprint for the win starts taking place! Nobody trying to enjoy the slipstream of another rider, as they all go with +- 800 meters to go! Who will win this sprint of dying swans?!
Clearly not Spengler! Daniel in the lead with 500 meters to go, but Blythe and Stallaert right behind him!
300 meters left, still the Carrefour rider in the lead!
200 meters left, still Daniel!
Blythe sits down in the final 100 meters! Daniel versus Stallaert for the victory!
And it’s the latter who wins in his home country! Another classic win for newly promoted team Bralirwa, as Carrefour has to settle for a second place with Daniel! Blythe completes the podium ahead of Spengler in fourth!
Respect for Anderberg though, who managed to defend his fifth place wonderfully! Bush then finishes in sixth ahead of Trentin (7th) and Altur (8th). We’ll never know where those two would have ended if they were not blocked by Kireva earlier.
And the Belgians now giving a standing ovation for this man as well! Lampaert really with the deciding move to break open the field on one of the last cobbled sectors, and instead of totally falling still he still finished in ninth. Chapeau.
Vanbilsen gets caught again just before the finish line, as Jansen and Ngandamba make the day even better for Aker – MOT, finishing 10th and 11th. Rest of the top-15 are Kulppi (12th), Garcia Cortina (13th), Vanbilsen (14th) and Breen (15th). Zepuntke the disappointment of the day in 20th.
