No luck for the Wolfpack at the first race of the Opening Weekend.
Soudal Quick-Step entered the first cobbled Classic of the season with the ambition of going for a good result, and until one point during the race, things looked really good for the squad at the 77th edition of the race, which took in a total of twelve climbs.
Following a slow start, things began kicking off in the peloton with more than 120 kilometers to go, when a sudden acceleration at the front led to a big split, which left around two dozen riders in a strong group that almost immediately took their advantage over the chasers to a full minute. Our team was represented there by 2021 Ronde van Vlaanderen winner Kasper Asgreen and Gianni Moscon, and by the time the group hit the second cobblestone section of the race, they were already at the front, having caught the original nine-man breakaway.
From a small gap of 20 seconds it soon went up to almost two minutes, which led to attacks being launched by the riders in the group, who were sensing this was their opportunity to make the difference. Moscon was one of these men who tried their chance, but despite a gutsy acceleration, the others reacted and kept things together. The Italian was again in the spotlight when he shut down a dangerous move, but then he paid for these efforts with around 50 kilometers to go, when his opponents put in a brutal attack.
Behind, Julian Alaphilippe returned to the bunch which was still believing in its chances after being involved in a crash, and he even tried to help Kasper – who in the meantime had been caught – but it just wasn’t our day. In the last hour of racing, both Alaphilippe and Asgreen, together with former teammate Florian Sénéchal (Arkea – B&B Hotels) were involved in another crash on a tight corner, without serious consequences. The duo got up and back on their bike, but later on, as a measure of precaution, abandoned the race won by Jan Tratnik (Visma – Lease a Bike), while Yves Lampaert finished Omloop Het Nieuwsblad as our highest-ranked rider, just outside the top 20.
“It was a crazy race. We had Kasper and Gianni in the front, and it was really nice to see Gianni there. Unfortunately, we also had some crashes, including Julian’s, who hit the ground twice. It’s real pity, because he wanted to try something on the Muur, but this is cycling. We now move our focus on Sunday with the hope it will be better for us, because the motivation and determination is there”, explained Soudal Quick-Step sports director Tom Steels.
Photo credit: ©Billy Ceusters / Getty Images
