Welcome for another Belgian classic, today around Kuurne.
Zepuntke, Kasperkiewicz and Gamper are the favorites if they can make the decision on the cobbles, while Stallaert and Daniel should dominate in a grouped arrival.
The small hills could play a role too.
Costiou and Theorpanous went early. They have 20 seconds on Domene, Wright, Arissol and Belevics.
There are other riders trying to go out, but Würth, Specialized and Bralirwa are organizing to fend them off.
Agrotis, Russo, Crowley and Losch seem to be able to join the 6 aforementioned, but the gaps remain small for now.
Terada is the first dropped today, as the pace’s still high, due to the favorites’ teams not being happy with the break.
The second cobbled sector does damages. And indeed, at the beginning of the 3rd, we have a brand new break:
Maciejuk, Van der Sande, Losch, Iversen, Curley, Dunne, Arissol and Young will spend the day at the front.
The gap is growing fast now.
Gamper puncture, but he’s well positioned in the peloton and that’s without consequence.
In the break, only 4 men seem to be able to survive the hard, hilly cobbles: Dunne, Van der sande, Curley and Maciejuk. Iversen manages to join them after some time.
100 km to go for the five leaders. Young is 1’48 behind, Arissol’s at 3’08 and an 115 men peloton at 3’26. No team leader in danger for now, but they seem to be those who work on the cobbles.
That’s a daring attack! With 74 km left and the break at 2’50, Ringheim attacks, maybe trying to use the strong side wind.
Richardson tries to join, and there’s a stall for a time, the pair staying at around 12’’. Kulppi uses this to attack.
The peloton takes it easy for now: the race’s still long, and they aren’t seen as too dangerous.
Indeed, Richardson is caught in the hills before the 9th sector. In the said sector, Kortsidakis is the next to attack!
Out of the 10th sector, him and David are now leading with 40 km and 4 sectors to go. 44 seconds behind are Manakov, then Dunne at 58’’ and a 97 men peloton at 1’20.
Specialized and Lierse are chasing.
The leaders are caught 29 km from the finish line. Kasperkiewicz immediately attacks!
He can’t get a gap, but Debesay counters, along Van Keirsbulck and Stavrakakis.
Nareklishvili brings them back.
At the end of the 12th sector, Debesay accelerates again. Neither Stavrakakis nor Kortsidakis can follow, but ELCO still has Summerhill and Boutopoulos in the peloton.
The winning move? Stallaert and Gamper have 30 seconds with 17 km left. Who to chase now?
Boutopoulos tried, but couldn’t match the two leaders in the short, 13th sector. The last one’s a bigger, 5 km from there.
At the entrance of the said sector, the leaders have 34 seconds on an hesitating peloton of 40.
Pithie and Harrison try to take their chance.
7 km. The leaders seem cooked, and will be joined by 8 favorites : Kasperkiewicz, Summerhill, Jacobs, Zepuntke, Daniel, Moulingui, Owen and Debesay.
The next group (Ovsyannikov, Orue, Teggart, Van Lerberghe) is 30 seconds behind.
There’s a good cooperation in the chasing group, but Stallaert resists! He has 11 seconds with 3 km left. The second chasing group is 26 seconds behind the favorites, with Van Lerberghe working.
Summerhill makes a last push to catch Stallaert 700 m later. And 2 km from the line, we have a 31 men group!
Summerhill accelerates ahead of the flamme rouge. Jacobs and Stallaert are behind him.
Stallaert went very fast for a time, but now he sits back. Jacobs and Ovsyannikov are the fastest.
300 m. Jacobs is in a great position now.
It’s a great sprint by Jacobs to claim the win in Kuurne!
Summerhill fends off Daniel and Debesay for 2nd. Great team tactics by ELCO.
Kasperkiewicz claims 5th.
Owen takes 6th, ahead of Ovsyannikov, Stallaert, Gamper, Moulingui and Zepuntke. The German never really seemed in it today.
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