Cobbles and bumps! The bookies favor both the sprinting cobblers ( Pedersen, Wisniowski) and the hilly cobblers ( Gerts, Kasperkiewicz). Theuns probably is the best hybrid of them all.
There is a fierce battle in the 15 first kilometers between the breakaway candidates and the favorites’ teams. Out with a 50 seconds gap are Klaris, Menicucci, Nieuwenhuis, Alexander, Sweeny, Christapopoulos, Alaphilippe, Okbamariam, Wright, Garcia Cortina, Manakov, Salazar, Finkler and Matsangos.
There are some solid cobblers in this group!
Chasing we find Page, Vanthourenhout, Oliveira, Van den Berg.
124 km to go, and the first climbing part is finished. The cobbled circuit will begin after the descent. The break finally got some margin, and their gap is 1’35.
When we hit the 100 km mark, the first cobbled section caused some damages to the non cobblers or helpers like Orue, Bush, Becis or Edmondson.
The break’s gap was quickly reduced, to 27 seconds.
It’s even caught in the first climb of the circuit, but Matsangos insists!
He’s joined by a group of 4 at the first cross of the finish line: Teunissen, Van Niekerk, Neilands and Swift. They have a gap of 1’05.
There are other attackers though, like Schmid, Boros, Stallaert or Bester.
And soon there are only 70 km to go! Let’s try to assess the situation:
Teunissen, Schmid, Stallaert, Neilands and Swift open the road.
They have Malecki, Kortsidakis, Bester and Teggart at +0’53.
Van Niekerk is at +1’20
Rojas and Sweeck are at +1’34
Barthe is at1’43
Boros and Bax are 2’13 behind.
A 63 men peloton is 2’25 late.
A group of 53 with Siric and Ferreira is further back.
Teunissen, and Stallaert, soon take the lead, with the 3 others losing ground. The peloton is back at 122 men.
At the 50 km mark, there are now 11 men at the front, with Van Niekerk, Boros and Bax between them and a 119 men peloton, 1’30 behind.
And with 39 km left, the favorites are on the move! Altur, Salzmann, Kasperkiewicz, Per, Theuns and Gerts go out of the pack.
But everyone’s soon taken, and 7 km later, Teunissen is all alone; 27 seconds ahead of a 96 men peloton.
The favorites don’t want to go too hard for now: with 20 km left to ride, a group of 104 is more or less together.
New attacks! Potts’ in the lead, with a group of 8 24 seconds behind him: Kasperkiewicz, Gerts, Polanc, Pedersen, Per, Altur, Salzmann and Wisniowski.
35 seconds further we have Theuns, Sulimov, Kamyshev, Senechal and Anderberg.
The big group of 56 is 12 more seconds behind.
Only 17 km left now.
And Potts’ still alone at the 10 km line! Per is the only one still chasing behind.
5 km to the finish. Per, Pedesen and Potts will be caught by a 22 men group. Not in this groups are Vanbilsen, Siric, Kamyshev, Stallaert, Tiller and Teunissen.
Pedersen insists, he’s joined by Wisniowski. They have 10 seconds on a group of 11.
And here’s the virtual flamme rouge! But what a kilometer it is, with a 7,6% slope and its cobbles!
Only 11 riders seem able to fight for the win: Perdersen, Wisniowki, Senechal, Kasperkiewicz, Polanc, Gerts, Theuns, Altur, Per, Salzmann and Anderberg.
700 m. Pedersen and Wisniowski are caught. Polanc, Theuns, Per, Gerts are the fastest.
500 m. Per takes the lead, but everyone is hitting a wall in the 9% slope.
300 m. Seems like nobody can pass him!
100 m. Polanc and Wisniowski are finding a 2nd wind!
Polanc celebrates! Isn’t it too early?
It is! The world champion wins the 2023 Macskako! Polanc is 2nd, Per 3rd
Kasperkiewicz is 4th.
Pedersen takes 5th, Anderberg 6th.
Altur is 7th, Salzmann 8th.
Senechal is 9th.
Gerts beats Theuns to 10th.
Well, that was a satisfying race! Rendez-vous tomorrow in Belgium for the follow-up!
“...the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to hear again. The ones you can enter anywhere and inhabit comfortably."
A. Roy
