After his show of supreme dominance on the E3 Basic on Friday, a lot of the discuss going into Gent-Wevelgem was round whether or not or not Mathieu van der Poel was beatable. Final 12 months, the query was how do you disrupt the profitable machine that was Visma-Lease a Bike. This 12 months, it is the Classics profitable double act of Jasper Philipsen and the reigning world champion.
Mads Pedersen and his teammates answered that query in some model final weekend. It had been evident that Lidl-Trek had a battle plan in place for the Classics. Indicators of it coming to life had been clear at Milan-San Remo, it was nice tuned at E3, and it got here collectively completely on Sunday.
One rider’s, or crew’s, dominance in any subject of racing could make for a considerably boring affair for these watching on. Luckily, Lidl-Trek appear to have grabbed their newfound standing with each fingers and look able to upsetting the proverbial apple cart in each the lads’s and ladies’s pelotons within the weeks and races to return.
Elisa Balsamo has already underlined her standing as chief SD Worx disruptor and it seems like Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven are set to observe go well with within the males’s subject within the coming weeks too.
In addition to this, we’ve got picked out another plotlines to observe within the coming fortnight as soon as the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix arrive.
Visma-Lease a Bike weakened by Laporte absence
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The reigning European champion, Christophe Laporte, proved himself to be instrumental in a lot of his crew’s Basic success final 12 months. Since becoming a member of from Cofidis, Laporte has grow to be a significant cog within the Visma-Lease a Bike machine and a key ally to the likes of Wout van Aert as they go seeking Flanders and Roubaix victory.
The crew introduced on Monday that Laporte has been dominated out of Dwars door Vlaanderen, a race he received final 12 months, and the Tour of Flanders this week in what’s going to come as a hammer blow to Van Aert’s massive plans.
Based on Visma-Lease a Bike, Laporte is struggling with a abdomen bug in addition to a problematic saddle sore.
Since profitable Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Opening Weekend, the crew has struggled to reassert its dominance within the races that adopted. A spate of sickness and damage affecting key riders has been the primary challenge and Laporte’s situation will solely add to their woes.
The Frenchman may have been one rider earmarked to be final man standing alongside Van Aert when it comes to teammates when the sharp finish of each upcoming Monuments arrives.
Laporte’s absence will solely add to the expectation already on the shoulders of not too long ago topped Paris-Good champion, Matteo Jorgenson. He’s the person that we predict shall be highlighted as Van Aert’s potential proper hand man as an alternative.
Lidl-Trek proceed to flex their tactical muscular tissues
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Numbers is the important thing, in response to Lidl-Trek, mixed with expertise if you wish to isolate and in the end beat Van der Poel in his personal yard this Spring.
The American crew had each in abundance final weekend and the core of the squad will virtually definitely keep the identical for each Flanders and Roubaix.
In Stuyven and Pedersen, Trek have two riders as in sync as Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Van der Poel and Philipsen and who’re each simply as keen because the Alpecin duo to bury themselves for each other, a top quality not all groups are fortunate to own.
Count on to see their tactical plan proceed to assemble momentum because the Classics roll on. It was evident that it was beginning to construct at San Remo, and has all of the qualities to achieve the proper crescendo within the Roubaix velodrome quickly.
FDJ-Suez and Movistar look to upset the favourites
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After watching Lidl-Trek of late within the ladies’s peloton, Sunday confirmed that different groups are beginning to pay attention to the place the likes of SD Worx-Protime could also be fallible.
The overall consensus appears to be to go lengthy with a purpose to put them underneath strain, or ignite the ultimate kilometres as SD Worx look to assemble their dash prepare for Lorena Wiebes. Each Movistar and FDJ-Suez threw warning to the wind and did simply that within the closing levels of Sunday’s ladies’s version of Gent-Wevelgem.
Wiebes received the win, however in the end she was made to work for it. Firstly Emma Norsgaard and Floortje Mackaij received up the highway in a bid to shake issues up and power among the favourites groups to chase. As soon as they had been introduced again in, FDJ did related and launched Grace Brown on the assault with slightly below three kilometres to the road.
Brown is a powerful time triallist, able to going early and making a transfer stick. Her assault may have set alarm bells ringing amongst the SD Worx leadout prepare. In the end, it wasn’t to be, however even when it isn’t Brown, others may have been buoyed by Movistar and FDJ’s ways final weekend and will attempt much like cease Kopecky in each Flanders and Roubaix.
Laurence Pithie continues to develop in confidence
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Even earlier than he pulled on the race chief’s yellow jersey at Paris-Good, Kiwi Laurence Pithie was already being talked up as a possible Classics future star.
On the race to the solar, the Groupama-FDJ rider backed up his talents on the bike along with his eloquence off it and equally to the likes of Remco Evenepoel at an early age, he already appeared completely comfy within the highlight of elite stage bike racing.
Pithie backed that up final weekend at Gent-Wevelgem, getting amongst it and chucking his weight round in opposition to the likes of Van der Poel and Pedersen as they seemed to contest the win. He seemed proper at house too and in no way fazed by the calibre of rider he was up in opposition to.
The New Zealander light because the race reached its conclusion however shall be excessive on confidence after such a efficiency. Groupama FDJ seem to have discovered their ultimate Classics man to take a seat alongside Stefan Küng as their greatest hope of victory in these settings on the cobbles.
Alongside up and coming British professional Sam Watson, the French crew may have fairly some firepower within the races to return.
Puck Pieterse takes purpose at Monument victory
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Off-road star Puck Pieterse continues to be comparatively new to highway racing, however is already displaying herself to be fairly the match for among the disciplines largest names.
The Dutch rider completed seventh at Gent-Wevelgem, her longest highway race thus far, and has already began to speak herself up as a possible Flanders winner. Pieterse has already podiumed this season in opposition to Lotte Kopecky, Elisa Balsamo and Wiebes and proven that she is nicely at house on the WorldTour.
Flanders is ready to be her final look of the Classics season earlier than she switches her focus to the Paris Olympics and he or she advised Cyclingnews that she has her eye on the highest step of the rostrum for her ultimate outing this 12 months.
“With the way it’s going now, in fact, it’s a must to dream of the very best and I believe we’ve got a very good crew,” she stated.
“We labored very well collectively right here at Gent-Wevelgem, so I believe even profitable is feasible.”
