Patrick Lefevere’s words have not been in vain. On Saturday, the boss of Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl was not satisfied with the performance of his team, but that was rectified on Sunday and finished by Fabio Jakobsen in the sprint. The final was seasoned by the trio of Laporte, Narváez and Van der Hoorn, but their attempt failed at about 300 meters from the finish.
The 74th edition of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in a nutshell
- Key moment: The train of Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl derails a few kilometers from the finish, but that of Trek-Segafredo closes the last gap in the final kilometer. Fabio Jakobsen lets himself slide into the slipstream and comes out mighty.
- Warrior of the Day: Taco van der Hoorn was in the early break of seven and stayed at the head of the race until the last hectometers. The Dutchman was the only constant in the constantly changing composition of the leading group, but could not reward his hard work.
- Ewan’s Bluff Poker: Caleb Ewan certainly paddled along the razor sharp Hainaut slopes conspicuously up front and showed his trained climber legs. Would he have had more energy for the sprint if he had just let himself drift more into the background in the hill zone?
Benoot also plays his role today
Under a radiant sun, many riders were looking forward to an early flight outing. After a quarter of an hour of trying it was gone. Stoker Mas Bonet was accompanied by Durbridge, Hesters, Krul, Livyns, Van der Hoorn and YouTuber Tietema. The latter experienced a dream in his first classic as a pro, but had to drop out first.
For this edition, the traditional ascent of the Kwaremont was canceled and the focus was shifted south of the language border. On the steep spots of Hameau des Papins and Mont Saint-Laurent, Ineo-Grenadiers set the race hard. Most sprinters had to fit in there, but Ewan paddled along perky. Meanwhile, the escapees saw their already limited lead quickly dwindle. Gears from Asgreen on the Hotond and especially Benoot on the Trieu set the course in a new fold.
Refugees strand with finish in sight
When the last climb was completed with the Kluisberg, a large leading group rode about 45 seconds ahead of the peloton with the fast men. A regrouping seemed inevitable in the relatively flat last 50 kilometers, but that was a lot of work. After all, a few pebbles drove around in the front and perhaps too much was calculated in the pursuit.
Trentin got things going a few times in the breakaway, but eventually missed the boat. At the start of the local round, Laporte, Narvaez and Van der Hoorn were left behind. Against their better judgement, they defended beyond the red rag in a lead of barely ten seconds. Even a five-car Quick Step train couldn’t catch the trio.
With the finish in sight, it was Trek-Segafredo that shattered the dreams of the three. Jakobsen chose the right moment to start his sprint and made good use of the slipstream. Ewan tried to go around the Dutchman, but stranded on half a wheel.
Watch the sprint in Kuurne
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ai ai. Riders almost turn around and end up on a bicycle path
