The former Belgian Champion rode a solid race Sunday afternoon.
A course of 270.8 kilometers, 17 hills and seven cobblestone sectors were the main ingredients of the Ronde van Vlaanderen, which got off to a fast start. Bert Van Lerberghe was among the early attackers, and the Belgian – one of the best lead-out men in the peloton – earned himself a place in the breakaway that went on to open a four-minute on the peloton. Van Lerberghe, who made his eighth appearance in De Ronde, was one of the group’s “engines”, contributing to the pace-setting without sparring any energy.
The 31-year-old ended up spending 160 kilometers at the front of the race, before the favourites decided to show their intentions and ramp up the pace, just as the rain began and the temperatures dropped, making an already demanding course even harder for the last two hours. Soudal Quick-Step tried several times to shake up the race, one by one Julian Alaphilippe, Kasper Asgreen and Tim Merlier going on the attack, but the peloton remained attentive and didn’t allow them to establish a gap bigger of ten seconds.
The second Monument of the season was decided on the steepest climb of the day, the Koppenberg, where Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) broke clear and remained alone until the finish, where he took the victory. Yves Lampaert concluded the fastest De Ronde edition of all time as the best Soudal Quick-Step rider in 18th place, after a strong effort and display that at the end of the day augured well for next week’s Paris-Roubaix.
Photo credit: ©Luc Claessen / Getty Images
