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Czech road race champion Petr Vakoc of Etixx – Quick-Step has taken out the 56th edition of the Brabantse Pijl, with Enrico Gasparotto of Wanty-Groupe Gobert and Tony Gallopin of Lotto Soudal rounding out the podium.
The win is Vakoc’s third of the year, and follows his recent victories at the Classic Sud-Ardèche and La Drôme Classic.
Before the final climb of the day, Vakoc was able to break away with his Etixx – Quick-Step teammate Julian Alaphilippe with less than four kilometres to go, and eventually made his attack on the Schavei, an ascent which has traditionally been very a decisive point in the race. Alaphilippe worked hard up to this point to increase the leading group’s advantage on the road and give Vakoc the chance to make the most of the final steep climb of the day.
In a post-race interview, Vakoc explained he decided to make his move on the Schavei after observing the other riders in the group began to hesitate into the final corner. Taking his chances, he was able to overpower Gasporotto and Gallopin, creating a significant gap on the ascent, and ultimately reached the finishing straight solo to take the victory in Overijse.
Behind the leading group, Bryan Coquard of Direct Energie managed to finish ahead of Orica-Greenedge’s Michael Matthews in a tight sprint to the line for fourth place. As a result of the efforts made by Orica-Greenedge throughout the day to control the advantage of the breakaway and neutralise several attacks, the Australian became isolated in the final kilometres of racing.
He found himself forced to attempt to reel in Vakoc’s group alone, in the hopes of seeing the race end in a bunch sprint, however it was always going to be a difficult feat with his teammates absent from the chase.
In terms of what today’s result means for Petr Vakoc, it will be interesting to see whether the Czech champion will now take on a shared leadership role at the Amstel Gold race, within a team hoping for good results in the Ardennes Classics, and potentially replicate today’s performance on the Cauberg come Sunday.
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