Cobbles are back on the menu for the PCT and some CT teams as we are in Hungary today. The profile is quite difficult, with a lot of punchy climbing lined up for the riders. Lets see who can come out on top here.
Favourites
Name
FL
MO
HI
ST
RS
CB
SP
AC
Zepuntke
72
56
69
79
72
82
72
65
Kasperkiewicz
76
66
74
75
77
81
59
67
Wisniowski
78
67
69
72
73
81
71
73
Girmay
77
64
71
76
76
79
77
76
Gaday
71
67
75
75
72
78
71
73
Moulingui
74
53
71
71
71
78
65
68
Sulimov
72
63
69
75
69
78
64
69
Polanc
71
73
72
77
72
77
66
74
Benoot
71
75
81
75
74
76
69
71
Louvel
77
64
72
75
78
76
67
67
Boros
72
52
72
71
67
76
63
64
Debesay
72
64
71
70
74
76
66
73
Centrone
74
62
71
72
67
76
53
58
Mestric
73
63
70
69
70
76
55
65
Hvideberg
78
64
70
74
74
76
65
65
Teggart
73
62
69
76
73
76
72
70
Van Keirsbulck
70
63
69
72
70
76
68
65
As many as 15 riders make it into the day's break, in two separate groups. When they come together, here's the lineup:
Yechezkel Van Aert Hoehn Kooistra, Kuroeda Maccagli Ndungu Grossschartner Thornley Kolev, Skerl Bruno Hayashibara Fjellheim Quicibal
Muhindo, Molingui, Dewulf, Hvideberg and Eekhoff attack with 95 kilometers to go.
They catch the break 4 kiloemeters later.
Grossschartner is dropped and caught with 82 km to go. Molingui suffers the same fate a few kilometers later.
Dewulf and Eekhoff also fall back to the pack with 74 kilometers remaining. The peleton are down to 126 riders.
Bdadou, Vermeersch and Centrone attack with 62 km to go.
The trio are able to catch the break.
The break is however caught with 51 km left.
Bdadou attacks again a few kilometers later.
He doesn't stay ahead for too long. 43 km to go.
There's a major split in the pack with 33 km left to ride - Polanc, Wisniowski, Schreurs, Stallaert and Daniel are among those dropped!
Vermeersch and Debesay attack soon after, but don't get far.
The lead group is down to 27 with 15 km to go. Polanc, Stallaert and Daniel have made it back to this group.
Stallaert and Daniel are dropped again in quick succession.
They are followed by Sulimov, Jorgenson and Welten being the next riders of note that can't keep up! 10 km remain.
8 km. Here we go! Girmay launches the first major attack among the favourites, Jorgenson and Welten have made it back to the lead group.
Girmay doesn't stay ahead for too long.
2 km later, Benoot and Van der Poel attack!. Louvel and Kasperkiewicz are trying to chase them down.
The peloton has been reduced to just 11 riders.
Girmay and Lecourt De Billot launch the next attack to try to chase down the leaders.
Jorgenson and Welten have been dropped again!
Girmay and Lecourt De Billot are caught with 3 km to go.
Louvel catches the two leaders a kilometer later.
With 800 meters remaining, it's Benoot and Louvel at the front, with Van der Poel now struggling to keep up. Kasperkiewicz, Girmay, Basso and Lecourt De Billot make up the third group.
Benoot pulls away, while Louvel has completely fallen off the cliff to be passed by Van der Poel again.
Benoot takes a comfortable win to shake off a somewhat iffy start to the season!
van der Poel also posts his best classics result of the season so far in 2nd.
For some time, it looked like even better was possible, but Louvel shows his potential with a string 3rd place in this race.
Kasperkiewicz finally delivers a result of note, claiming 4th today, just holding off a charging Mengoulas, who came from nowhere in the final kilometer to claim 5th!
Girmay is 6th, followed by Basso, Zepuntke and Giulietti in positions 7th through 9th.
Polanc takes 10th.
Lecourt De Billot moved backwards fast in the closing stages, and has to settle for 11th, when a top 5 looked possible just a couple of kilometers back.
Lapeira is 12th, making him already the third Ekoi rider to finish. Then comes De Bie and Gaday.
Jorgenson completes the Top 15.
Today's winner - Tiejs Benoot.
Today's race was dominated by riders who are comfortable both on the cobbles and the hills and the results show it. Benoot and Van der Poel excel in this type of profile while a new star emerged on the bottom step of the podium in the form of Louvel.
