Several PCT riders with one or two stars on the organisation’s favourite list, let’s see if they can beat CT’s finest cobblers.
Didn’t know what to expect, but definitely did not expect a break of 21. The teams present are Team UBS (Dillier), Volcanica – Fox (Jorgenson, Jurado, Rojas), Minions (Selander, Bjerg), Eddie Stobart (Bogdanovics, Drapac, Berger), Eurosport (Stuyven), Strava (Oss), Podium Ambition (Kelly, Dekker), SK Lierse (Aleotti, Verwilst), Aramco (Abdul Halil, Hesters), Tafjord (Andersen), McCormick (Hecht) and Aker – Mot (Yzeiraj, Frankovic). The teams working in the peloton are Trans, Crabbe, Pas Normal and HelloFresh.
125 km to the finish line as the riders are on the first and longest cobbled sector of the day (11km). Difference between the 21 leaders and the peloton 2’15”. It started raining, which is always a fun extra in a flandrien race like this. Vanmarcke punctured in the peloton, but did not get dropped thanks to quick and efficient work by Pas Normal’s staff.
Croatian champion Frankovic also suffers a puncture, on the second cobbled sector, and tries to come back to the leading group. He manages to do so, but that must have cost him some valuable energy.
Interesting stuff here, as Paprstka, Kumara and Okbamariam jump away from the peloton and join the leaders rather quickly. 24 men at the front now, they have a 2’25” lead over the peloton with 100 km to the finish line.
The three ‘new additions’ make sure the pace on the cobbles is decent at the head of the race. As there are 70 km to go, the gap remains around two minutes. The three teams doing the work in the peloton are Trans Looney Tunes, Crabbe CC – Chévigny and Pas Normal – Mikeller.
As Abdul Halil is the first rider to be dropped from the leading group, the gap towards the peloton has been reduced to only one minute with 55 km to the finish line. Mostly because of some strong domestique work by Keukeleire. Only 56 riders left in the peloton as well.
The riders in the leading group are not planning on giving up too easily. Paprstka, Kumara and Okbamariam lead the way as they still have a 45” lead with 40 km to go. The cobbled sectors getting harder though, as we switched from two star cobbled sectors to three star cobbled sectors!
32 km left as most of the escapees have surrendered, but four riders still have a 30” gap to the peloton! Can Paprstka, Hesters, Kumara and Okbamariam do the impossible and hold off the peloton? Moricz is the best cobbler to be dropped so far in the peloton.
But as they start one of the last cobbled sectors (four to come) with 26 km left, Taubel ensures everyone is caught, including Matthews, Marcos and Ovsyannikov who just went for the attack as well. 54 riders left in the peloton, who of them will win the 2021 GP Herning?
Manakov put some pressure on the others and managed to get a small gap, it’s favourite Vanspeybrouck himself closing it! The others in his wheel are Vanmarcke, Matthews, Van Keirsbulck, Declerq and Schäppi.
Photo missing
But Videika reacts quickly and closes the gap for his leaders just before a peloton of 36 is about the enter the following cobbled sector with 20 km to go. Biggest names not here are Kristoff, Abraha, Taubel and Kumara.
Thwaites leads the peloton over that cobbled sector, dropping another eleven riders in the process. It looks like Sbaragli, Ballerini, Okbamariam, Tsatevich, Okbamariam, Paprstka, Verhelst or Rathe won’t be winning today.
12.2 km to the finish line as we’re on the penultimate cobbled sector of the day and Declerq attacks! First riders in his wheel are Schoonbroodt, Jansen and Schäppi, PCT dominating in C2!
And favourites Vanspeybrouck and Vanmarcke are with them as well! The six have a small gap over the rest of the favourites under the ten km banner, as we can see Riesebeek working to bring them back for his leaders Van Keirsbulck and Puccio!
And that’s exactly what the Dutchman does! He brings back his two leaders as well as Thwaites, Sweeck, Gamper and De Witte! Thirteen leaders with a gap of 25” over the next seven riders, as the final cobbled sector is coming up in one kilometre! 7.8 km to the finish line now!
Et voila, those seven also joining the leading group! Twenty leaders now, and Matthews, Bovenhuis and Nielsen representing their team here as well.
Big man Vanspeybrouck himself attacking now! Puccio doing everything to hold on for leader Van Keirsbulck, whereas the other following with 5.5 km to go are Vanmarcke, Declerq, Jansen, Gamper and Schäppi!
Gamper and Schäppi are dropped, but so is Van Keirsbulck! Bad day for the Belgian?! 4 km left now and no more cobbles! The gap is still small though, so Van Keirsbulck could make it back as they are not really cooperating at the front.
And he does make it back! 3 km left and it should be decided between these six with a late attack or a sprint! The best sprinter here should be Jansen!
2 km to go, no attack yet. Two Minions now at 20”.
Jansen and Vanmarcke believe they can win it and both launch their sprint under the red kite! De Witte launching Sweeck as well just behind the first six, could it be?!
This is definitely not your average sprint, as everybody is too tired to stand up! It’s just pushing the pedals as hard as possible without falling over at this point! Half a km left as Jansen is in the lead ahead of Vanmarcke and Declerq!
The Aker – Mot rider two hundred meters away from victory! Vanspeybrouck into third now!
Too tired to celebrate, but manager ember will surely be popping some champagne bottles! Jansen wins the 2021 GP Herning ahead of Vanmarcke (2nd) and Vanspeybrouck (3rd)!
Declerq comes in fourth ahead of the HelloFresh and Minions duos. Puccio fifth, De Witte sixth, Van Keirsbulck seventh and Sweeck eighth.
Three PCT riders coming in now. Schoonbroodt in ninth ahead of fellow countrymate Riesebeek (10th) and Schäppi (11th). Rest of the top-15 completed by Gamper (12th), Nielsen (13th), Marcos (14th) and Matthews (15th).
