Oudenaarde / OSLO (procycling.no): Peter Sagan drove an almost perfect Flanders.
The Slovakian attack with Michal Kwiatkowski about 30 kilometers from the finish.
The duo received visits by Sep Vanmarcke and ran into tetgruppen who had attacked earlier.
up Oude Kwaremont was only VANMARCKE who follow world champion, but up the race last hill was Sagan irresistible.
13 km again was the 26 year old solo in the front. Behind took Sep Vanmarcke and Fabian Cancellara, who had cycled from the other favorites in the last two slopes, up hunt.
– Super Hard
But the duo was unable to retrieve the lone man in front.
this enabled world champion cheering their first win in one of cycling’s monuments, wearing the iconic rainbow jersey.
– I am very happy. It was a super hard race from start to finish. It was always full speed, says Sagan in victory interview.
– I had a little trouble after 100 kilometers. I had to change both wheels. There was a lot of crashes. I have to thank the team, they did a very good job.
Sagan also took time to pay tribute to the two deceased Belgians, Antoine Demoitié and Myngheer.
– We have to think about the two who died this week. It’s very sad. I will dedicate the victory to them. Also Bodnar had a nasty fall at last, it was unfortunate. I wish him a good recovery.
– Better to drive from all
Next week waiting Paris-Roubaix, another rides suitable Sagan brilliant.
– I am very happy with this. Now I want to have fun after the big win. I do not think about next week now.
Sagan has repeatedly complained that the competition never want to cooperate with him. Sunday he did not need help from anyone.
– The race was very hard today, and it is difficult to work with others. No one will go with me, so it’s better to run from everyone, but it is not easy.
Cancellara took second place, while VANMARCKE was third.
Kristoff number four
In the sprint for fourth place was Alexander Kristoff clearly strongest. Katusha rider was about 48 seconds behind superior Peter Sagan.
– I knew I had the legs to follow the best today. Fourth place is what I could get, says Kristoff to procycling.no finish.
– I knew that it was hard from the start. The feeling I have often, but then it becomes okay eventually. It made it so far today as well, but I could not follow the best.
The Norwegian was part of a group that hunts Cancellara and VANMARCKE at the end, but ultimately it boasts around 20 up to the duo.
– Fourth place is okay but I would have liked on the podium.
Edvald Boasson Hagen came to the finish in the group behind Kristoff.
the matter is updated
How did it
it was an exhilarating start to the 100th edition of the Tour of Flanders.
Vegard Stake Laengen was particularly active the first few kilometers, but neither Swede or someone else got some time on the main field.
It should namely take almost two hours before the breach established. Hugo Houle (Ag2r), Federico Zurlo (Lampre), Imanol Erviti (Movistar), Lukas Pöstlberger (Bora Argon), Wesley Kreder (Roompot) and Gijs Van Hoecke (Topsport Vlaanderen) were the six who managed to tear himself away from the field .
Some riders tried to get up. Roy curvers gave up early. Nor Kenny Dehaes had chance to seal the hatch on their own.
Outsidere down
144 kilometers from goal went the first major crash in the peloton. Worse went beyond FDJ, which had several riders, including captain Arnaud Démare the ground. The French Milan-Sanremo winner broke shortly after.
Also Geraint Thomas had a walk down on, but landed luckily on the pitch and was quickly up on the bike again.
A few kilometers later was Sep Vanmarcke inattentive and drove on the rider front. The Belgian had to wait long for a new bike, but came relatively cheap back up to the field with the help of several teammates.
Not long after it was Edvald Boasson Hagen’s turn to have trouble. The Norwegian had to change bikes 135 kilometers from the finish.
Veltebonanzaen however, was not over. In a right turn went including Tiesj Benoot and Marcus Burghardt sharply. Recorded Said, one of the big outsiders, was carried off in an ambulance and could not improve fifth place from last year’s edition. Neither the strong German came up on the bike.
In front was Pöstlberger who had bad luck. Bora-rider punctured and never got back to the break.
Belgian favorite to break
Before Molenberg, 188 kilometers from goal, put Team Quick Step up the pace. And then Tony Martin really went on up the hill, tore a group of around 30 riders free. Group two came up again quickly, but the first scare shot was fired.
When the pace had calmed down a bit, did it again wrong. Five BMC riders hit the ground. Captain and Belgium’s favorite, Greg Van Avermaet took to tears as he sat on the sidewalk. 30-year-old never got back on the bike.
Over Haaghoek and the subsequent rise Leberg was Tony Martin again active in front of the field, without much came out of it other than an attack from André Greipel and Kristoff helper Nils Politt. Meanwhile rode Erviti and Van Hoecke from the other in front.
With 78 kilometers were left five riders in the front. Greipel and Politt pulled the Houle up to Erviti and Van Hoecke. Down to the field, which had slowed down some, it was a half minutes.
favorite was moving
little later also Dimitri Clayes and Dimitri Gruzdev up to quintet . They received 2.45 before the attacks again began in the peloton with 65 kilometers left.
And when positioning the fight before the second passage of Oude Kwaremont started in the field, lost breakup quickly.
Both Alexander Kristoff and Edvald Boasson Hagen put great placed in the field before the hard-hitting the ground.
While Claeys got a small gap in front, it was Stijn Vandenbergg that attack. The long Belgian were joined by Dylan van Baarle.
With 45 kilometers left had Greipel had enough of the other six in the breach. Just before hammering Koppenberg Attack “gorilla.”
In ground came Claeys, Erviti and Politt up to the German. Soon also Vandenbergh and Van Baarle up.
Trouble for Norwegians
Also inside the box things happened. A small group, including Sep Vanmarcke, got a little weed before Koppenberg. It was driven into the ground, where Lars Boom set a furious pace.
It ensured that VANMARCKE group was obtained, and a group of about 20.30 riders established.
Then, began attacking again to shotgun, and again was VANMARCKE very active. Into Taaienberg, 35 km from goal, he brought with him a group of a few seconds over the other favorites.
It would not Sagan and Cancellara have materialized. The two big favorites drove up to the group in front, along with including Michal Kwiatkowski and Geraint Thomas.
Neither Boasson Hagen or Kristoff managed to follow when big guns set up the pace. With Oscar Gatto and Stijn Devolder who dedicated helpers, shone all warning lights for the Norwegians.
But it was not long before the group behind managed to seal the hatch.
Dangerous trio stuck
Da attacks Michal Kwiatkowski and Peter Sagan. Fabian Cancellara tried not to follow. It made VANMARCKE woke and LottoNL-Jumbo-rider sealed quickly cover up the duo.
Must top of Kruisberg, 28 kilometers from the finish in Oudenaarde, had the trio half minutes down to the group with the other favorites, there Stijn Devolder had to tow. Gradually also contributed Astana and Katusha bit.
23.5 kilometers again took favorite trio in front group, which immediately lay down on the wheel.
Up Oude Kwaremont put Sagan pace in the front. Only VANMARCKE managed to follow.
Behind managed no follow Cancellara, who devoured the remains of the front group. Thomas and Etixx duo Terpstra and Styb was closest to follow.
The Swiss were unable to seal the hatch to the duo in front and were picked up by Terpstra, Erviti and Claeys before Pater Berg.
Inn the ground had the duo in front 15 seconds down to the quartet.
Sagan solo
in Pater Berg had not VANMARCKE chance to follow the Slovak world champion, who went solo. Behind distanced Cancellara the others and taken VANMARCKE.
Thus, it was a duo that would hunt Tinkoff riders the last 13 kilometers to the finish line in Oudenaarde.
Five kilometers before the finish, he had 20 seconds down to the duo. The Slovak world champion was not to grab.
Thus, he could cheer for their first win in one of the five monuments.
This article is supplied by bike site www.procycling.no!
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