Hello and welcome to the Dutch Valleys. This race hasn’t been called the Dutch Valley classic in a hot minute instead it’s now called Veenendaal – Veenendaal. Before we get underway here, lets take a look at the profile and list of favourites:
Interestingly enough Konychev is looking like the bookies’ favourite to add another win here to his name as we get ready to go!
It’s a rainy day as the first attackers launch of the race! Quinn leads Casillas, Uhiriwe and Sam as they get a small gap.
Stroll, Verona and Iversen form a group behind the first 4 riders. Behind them Davies and Cardona are also trying to escape the pack.
With 180 to go the break now has four minutes to the pack. The members are: Quinn Casillas, Uhiriwe, Sam, Stroll, Verona, Iversen, Davies, Cardona and lastly Yechezkel manages to close a gap to the group giving us a nice 10 man break for the day.
As we start enter the city part of the course with 56kms to the first signs of distress in the pack is shown as a “split” of 40 seconds is created, the technical streets means that a group of 49 riders are technically the pack now. The 130-man ---------group behind them doesn’t include any huge favourites, biggest name there is Siric. Shouldn’t be cause for concern just yet butt some riders might need to be on top of their positioning. The gap to the break is down to 2 minutes.
With 40kms to there is visual contect for the pack as Minions and ELCO – ABEA are the two teams doing a lot of work. The pace is taking its toll on a lot of the riders as we do see riders straggling out of the pack. A gap much akin to the one that was shut down earlier is now being registered with the top 22 riders of the pack. The technical course once again requires you to be on your toes!
33km to go. The gap to the break is around 1 minute as there is unrest amongst the 10, but the real action is in the pack. This time it seems like there might be something about these cuts in the pack. The wet roads and technical course really taking its tool as a 30 second gap is created to a huge group with major names such as Wisniowski and Pedersen. While this gap is quickly closed, this must be an unnecessary amount of energy being burnt here by a bunch of big riders not wanting to be at the front just yet. Further down the road there’s a group that has lost around a minute with some important pieces such as main leadout man Alaphilippe. 33km to go.
15kms to go. There has been an insane battle for positions at the front of the pack as the break has been caught. Sam and Yechezkel go for a counter attack that creates a 40 second gap.
Meanwhile the big guns have come out to play! Last year’s winner Pedersen goes first with the world champion Wisniowski in his wheel!
At the front Sam is trying to ditch his partner with 7.5kms to go. The duo has a 52” gap to the pack that has reeled back in the two big dogs. Could they go all the way?
This one will come down to the wire as Andersen is going all-out to bring back the front two, he has all the big sprinters in his wheel!
1.7km to go! Sam’s gap has come down 22 seconds as Andersen has launched an attack in the pack. Kortsidakis is right behind him. Zara manager LLS will pray to the higher powers that Sam pulls of this move as Jakobsen is stuck in a 5 man group with big names such as Konychev and Philipsen.
300 metres to go, the finish line is so close that Sam can almost taste it but behind him it’s all kicking off as Antonijevic has launched an attack and behind him the sprinters are getting into position.
ABSOLUTE DISASTER AS SAM THINKS HE’S WON IT AS ANTONIJEVIC BLASTS PAST HIM ON THE LINE. Andersen comes in third as we have an ELCO rider in fourth but it’s not Coquard as Kortsidakis reaps the rewards of him following the Dane’s early move and finished fourth.
The bunch sprint behind these riders was a calamitous mess as the attacks from the roluers and the efforts to catch the break left every team disorganised. The sprinters fight for fifth and it is Ahlstrand who claims the sprint. Behind him it’s Kanter, Van der Lijke, then Kemboi, Silvestre and Ewan close out the top 10. Coquard finds himself all the way down in 33rd. He was really boxed in and couldn’t move past the clump in front of him as he spent energy trying to set up Kortsidakis as well.
