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Philippe Gilbert (Quick Step) has taken victory in a epic 2017 Tour of Flanders, riding away from the field with 55 kilometres to go and holding off the rest to win solo.
An eight-man breakaway group held the forte down for the first hundred kilometres of racing, with Mark McNally (Wanty-Gobert), Oliviero Troia (UAE Emirates), Julien Duval (AG2R La Mondiale), Stef Van Zummeren (Veranda’s Willems Crelan), Michael Goolaerts (Veranda’s Willems Crelan), Julien Morice (Direct Energie), Edward Planckaert (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise) and André Looij (Roompot) the riders to get away from the peloton.
Other attacks went as the climbs started after 115 kilometres of racing, but none of them stuck as the race tried to sort it self out.
On the Muur van Geraardsbergen which was situated 95 kilometres out from the finish line, back in the race for the first time in five years the race would split to pieces. A group featuring Tom Boonen, Arnaud Demare and eventual winner Gilbert would break free, with the rest of the field settling into two chase groups.
The two chase groups would eventually form one over a minute behind, but it was Gilbert who threw a spanner in the works at the top of the Oude Kwaremont, 55 kilometres from the line.
He simply rode everyone off his wheel in the lead group and quickly went on to catch the breakaway, riding away to hold a minute lead all the way to the final climbs.
Gilbert said after the race it wasn’t the plan to attack, but he rode as hard as he could and ended up with no one in his wheel, so kept going.
It forced the hand of Niki Terpstra and Tom Boonen who slowed down in the lead group, which allowed the chasers to catch up.
More attacks followed, before Boonen himself would have a mechanical on the Taaienberg, ending his Tour of Flanders career on a sour note.
A three man group featuring Greg Van Avermaet, world champion Peter Sagan and Oliver Naesen then broke away from the rest, but were brought to their knees by a crash on the final climb of the race. Van Avermaet was the only one able to recover and he quickly caught Dylan Van Baarle and Niki Terpstra, with the trio then riding to the line for second place, which was taken by Van Avermaet ahead of Terpstra.
In the group behind, it was Alexander Kristoff who sprinted home for fifth spot.
In the end, crashes will be remembered in the Tour of Flanders, but so will a gutsy performance from Philippe Gilbert, who showed everyone the benefits of taking a risk.
It’s one of the toughest races on the cycling calendar when the peloton hit the west of Belgium for the Tour of Flanders (Ronde Van Vlaanderen). Join The Roar for live coverage from 8:45pm (AEST).
Raced over a distance of 260 kilometres, Flanders is using more or less the same course as last year when Peter Sagan rode away to win by 25 seconds.
While there are no recognised climbs in the first 100 kilometres of racing, there are 18 in the final 150 kilometres, making for a brutal finish.
Eleven of those climbs, including the final eight, are on cobblestones and with an extra five sections of the race on cobbles, it’s little wonder Flanders is regarded as one of the more brutal races.
Starting in Antwerp for the first time, the first 80 kilometres is without obstacles, before the cobbles and climbs come in rapid succession. But things don’t really get tough until they reach the final circuit: the daunting Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg.
The Kwaremont comes in at 2.2 kilometres and is raced three times during the race, but it’s the final two trips up with the Paterberg following that will be most challenging.
With around 50 kilometres to go, the Kwaremont and Paterberg (400 metres at 12.5 per cent) are followed by the Koppenberg (600 metres at 11.6 per cent), Steenbeekdries (820 metres at 7.6 per cent), Taaienberg (800 metres at 7.1 per cent) and the Kruisberg (2500 at five per cent), before the Kwaremont and Paterberg are raced again.
That will be the deciding phase of the race, with only the strongest making it over. Last year, that was Sagan on his own, chased by the now-retired Fabian Cancellara and Sep Vanmarcke.
The intriguing thing about Flanders is that the final climb will be followed by a 13-kilometre stretch to the finish line, making timing of attacks and having something left for the race to the line crucial.
In a lot of races, it’s a case of first to go over the final climb wins, but the wind and weather can play such a large role in the west of Belgium.
After taking out the sprint classification at Tirreno–Adriatico and finishing second and third at Milan-San Remo and Gent-Wevelgem respectively, Sagan’s form suggests he is a strong chance at going back-to-back.
Gent-Wevelgem is often a good form guide for Flanders and Paris-Roubaix next week, so Greg Van Avermaet has done his chances no harm by winning the race.
Tom Boonen is another who can’t be discounted, despite some poor form, given he has won the race three times. Others to watch out for are Vanmarcke, Tiesj Benoot, former winner Alex Kristoff, Stijn Vandenbergh and 2016 Paris-Roubaix winner Matthew Hayman.
Prediction
It’s hard to see Peter Sagan losing, although he may have to outsprint Greg Van Avermaet and Tom Boonen.
Should be a cracker.
Be sure to join The Roar for live coverage of the 2017 Tour of Flanders from 8:45pm (AEST) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.