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Monday April 4, 2022
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2021 Tour de France | 2021 Giro d'Italia
If you want peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies. - Desmond Tutu
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Current racing:
- April 4 - 9: Vuelta al Pais Vasco
Upcoming racing:
- April 5 - 8: Circuit Cycliste Sarthe
- April 6: Scheldeprijs
Latest completed racing:
- April 3: Tour of Flanders
- April 2: GP Miguel Indurain
- April 2: Volta Limburg Classic
- April 1: Route Adélie de Vitre
- March 30: Dwars door Vlaanderen
- March 21 - 27: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
- March 27: Gent-Wevelgem
We posted the report from the race organizer with the results.
Here's the report from second-place Dylan van Baarle's INEOS Grenadiers team:
Dylan van Baarle put in a superb attacking ride on the way to a magnificent second place at the Tour of Flanders.
This TV screen capture shows how the riders were placed just after the sprint.
The Dutchman timed his final effort perfectly as the two lead pairings came back together in the final 400 metres. The thrilling finish was set up by a long-range move from the Grenadier. He pushed clear with 50 kilometres to go alongside Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) before the famous Koppenberg climb.
That move ensured Van Baarle was at the head of the race as an elite five-man group formed heading into the closing stages.
On the final passage of the Oude Kwaremont, the duo of Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) went clear. Van Baarle managed his efforts, and in the final kilometre he and Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) bridged the gap, just as the sprint took hold.
Van der Poel edged clear to win the race, but Van Baarle was able to finish strong to confirm a brilliant podium, and the team’s best finish in the Belgian Monument.
Tom Pidcock finished 14th among the chasing pack, while Ben Turner again showed his strength in the Classics, finishing 35th.
Dylan van Baarle:
"I wasn’t expecting anymore to sprint for the victory, that’s for sure. I was confident in the sprint after 270km – I’m not super quick but at least I don’t lose too much power. So I was confident to sprint for third place but then all of a sudden we were sprinting for the victory. It went so fast so you had to decide really quick. In the end Mathieu was too quick.
"I was always thinking to be ahead of the race, and that they’d have to chase me. With Tom, Ben and Jhony Narvaez in the group behind, it’s always better if there is someone up the road, and they can save the legs a little bit. I just had to wait for the better guys to attack, and in this case it was Mathieu and Tadej.
"Vice world champion and vice runner up in Flanders. It’s not bad!"
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Here's the report from third-place Valentin Madouas' Team Groupama-FDJ:
The Groupama-FDJ cycling team not only experienced but rode an exceptional “Monument” on Sunday, on the legendary roads of the Tour of Flanders. With another strong team display, Stefan Küng and his mates never were caught out. Quite the contrary. When the decision was made, Valentin Madouas was even the only one to follow Pogacar and Van der Poel’s wheel.
The Frenchman then got distanced into a chasing group, but he returned at the last minute in the home stretch to fight for victory! After a strong sprint, he eventually snatched an exceptional podium on the Ronde van Vlaanderen as Stefan Küng completed the team’s marvelous day with fifth place. The Flemish Classics campaign ended on a high.
The 2022 Tour of Flanders podium. From the left: Dylan van Baarle (2nd), Mathieu van der Poel (1st) & Valentin Madouas (3rd). Sirotti photo
As the snow of the previous days disappeared, everything was settled for the Flemish cycling’ holy day to take place in the best conditions, from Antwerp to Oudenaarde. Over more than 272 kilometres, no less than eighteen bergs and seven cobblestones’ sections awaited the peloton in the second Monument of the season: the Tour of Flanders. It all started at 10:22 a.m., and it took about ten minutes to see the day’s breakaway, made up of nine riders, emerge. Their advantage quickly reached four minutes while Groupama-FDJ was already showing their ambitions in the back, always staying in good position. After 130 kilometres without any real obstacle, the real business started with the first time up the Oude Kwaremont.
From then on, the bergs followed one after the other and the tension only intensified as the race went on. In fact, many crashes occurred even before entering the last hundred kilometres. The first major attack was eventually launched in the Berendries, just 90k from the end. Many outsiders decided to anticipate, such as Alberto Bettiol, Mads Pedersen or Zdenek Stybar, but Olivier Le Gac was focused. “We were always very offensive and following the moves, first with Olivier, then with Kevin”, said Frédéric Guesdon. “We said at the briefing yesterday that we had to be in all the attacks, as we had proven in the other races that we had a strong team”, added Stefan Küng. “I told the guys that we should never be in a situation where we needed to ride. Olivier followed, Kevin too, and it is also thanks to the others who positioned us at the strategic points every single time”.
About sixty kilometres from the finish, the Luxembourg champion joined Olivier Le Gac in a strong chasing group, while some teams had to pull at the front of the peloton approaching the second climb up to the Oude Kwaremont. This is where the race really changed. The morning break was caught, and everything actually came together after a lightning attack from Tadej Pogacar. The bunch was shattered and about thirty men went away. Stefan Küng, Kevin Geniets, Olivier Le Gac and Valentin Madouas were among them. After the Paterberg, two riders took a gap, but the mighty Koppenberg soon appeared in front of the riders. On its cobbled slopes, Valentin Madouas made quite an impression.
“When I saw that he was in a good position at the bottom, I was confident”, said Frédéric. “For him, the hardest part was almost done. He then proved that he was able to follow the best if he was placed. Given what he showed in the past week and even before, it was not so much of a surprise to see him follow Pogacar and van der Poel”. Together with the Dutch and the Slovenian superstars, the young man from Brittany went on to join the head of the race. “It was perfect for us because we only had to cover the attacks”, said Stefan. “We had the numbers in the final!” “It was the ideal situation”, confirmed Frédéric. “One after the other, they followed the moves in the chasing group”.
With about thirty kilometres to go, the gap of the leading five was more than a minute, and Valentin Madouas could surely hope for a great performance at the end. In the back, Stefan Küng broke away from the chase a few minutes later with two riders. “I had really good legs and they were still a minute ahead, so I wanted to try something,” he said.
All of them eventually showed up at the bottom of the Oude Kwaremont for the third and last time with 17k to go. In the lead, Pogacar immediately put the hammer down with Van der Poel following. Valentin Madouas held on for a few hundred metres but was eventually forced to let the duo go away. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough legs to follow them,” said the young man. “It comes down to details. I probably left too much energy elsewhere during the day”.
However, the Frenchman still found himself in the chase with Dylan Van Baarle while Stefan Küng was a bit behind with Dylan Teuns and Fred Wright. After the Paterberg, the last hill of the day, all three groups were thirty seconds away from one another. “Since the first two had a big lead, I stopped riding with the Bahrain riders because we couldn’t risk finishing fourth and fifth,” explained Stefan. The gaps were initially more or less maintained in the last ten kilometres, but they narrowed significantly in the last two kilometres. In the lead, Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar looked at each other for a very long time as the final sprint approached, which made it possible for Valentin Madouas and Dylan van Baarle to return at the very last minute! “We know for sure that there is a “cat and mouse” game when a victory on a Monument is at stake”, claimed the Frenchman. “This is why we always thought that winning was possible. Given the speed I had when I came back, I really believed for a moment that I could make it, but the legs spoke and they told me to sit down”. He eventually took an amazing third place after being in the mix for victory.
“It is already outstanding to be on the podium on a Monument”, he said. “This is the first time I manage to be at this level, and I hope to be there again in the coming years. There is no victory, but it is an amazing day, one of my most beautiful ones on the bike. I think I’m just beaten by stronger riders. When you make it to the podium, you surely want to come back for victory, and we still need to give Jacky Durand a successor (smiles)”. By the way, thanks to Valentin Madouas, the Groupama-FDJ organization now has at least one podium on all five Monuments. “This race is just like our entire campaign,” said Frédéric. “We were up there as a team in all the races we took part in. Today is the apotheosis on the Tour of Flanders with two riders in the top five and a very strong team once again. It really is a great day, and a great week overall. We have been working for these Flemish Classics for a long time. It is a reward for two decades of work by the team, and ten years as far as I’m concerned. Until then, we had had a little trouble and we had often gone through it. Today, our race and the result at the finish mean a lot to us.”
Group captain’s Stefan Küng concluded on the same vibe after taking his best ever result on the Ronde (5th): “I already felt a really positive momentum throughout the whole Classics’ campaign, but everyone was even a step higher today. Four years ago, when things were not going well, we said we would come back stronger. Today, I have to say ‘’hats off’’. I am very happy with the team, and we must now keep going like this”.
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Here's the report from fourth-place Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates:
For Tadej Pogačar, the debut at the Tour of Flanders was almost perfect: a lot of class displayed on the bergs, a classic duel with Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) and a sprint that unfortunately did not go the way of the Slovenian of UAE Team Emirates.
The captain of the Emirati team finished the Belgian classic in 4th place, preceded by the winner Van der Poel, Dylan Van Baarle (2nd, Ineos-Grenadiers) and Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ).
Pogačar had faced all the key points of the route with his usual fighting spirit, making the selection on the last two passages on the Oude Kwaremont (-56 km and -17 km) and on the two assaults on Paterberg (- 51 km and -14 km), before going clear together with Van der Poel with a 30 ”advantage over the pursuing duo formed by Van Baarle and Madouas.
Tadej Pogacar on the Koppenberg wtih Valentin Madouas & Mathieu van der Poel right behind him. Sirotti photo
In Oudenaarde, on the long finish straight, Pogačar and Van der Poel lingered for a long time before launching the final sprint: Van der Poel accelerated just when, at 250 meters, the two pursuers had gained momentum and, at that point , Pogačar no longer found space for his sprint, finding himself closed between Van Baarle and Madouas.
Pogačar: “It was a wonderful experience, a wonderful race. The team was perfect in supporting me and all of this contributed to ensuring that I was able to remain alone with Van der Poel leading the race, in an incredible atmosphere. Especially on the Oude Kwaremont, a climb that I really like, I had goosebumps.
"In the moments immediately following the race, I was not happy, because I was not able to make the sprint as I was closed, but I know well that in cycling this can happen: sometimes you have a clear path, other times you do not find the necessary space. I wasn’t mad at anyone, I was just frustrated with myself.
"The idea of attacking on the Kwaremont was born from yesterday’s reconnaissance, when we noticed that there was a favorable wind: it is one of the hardest and longest walls and therefore it was a good point for me to give my all. Then I also tried to stretch on the last pass on Paterberg but, despite giving my best, I was unable to pull away from Mathieu: he was really strong today.
"Will I be back to race the Tour of Flanders? Simple answer, yes “.
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Here's the Tour of Flanders report from Team Bora-hansgrohe:
Almost 271 kilometers, non-less than 18 Hellingen and 7 sectors of cobble stones awaited the riders today at the famous Tour of Flanders. Even some teams neutralized themselves a little in the beginning, nine riders went clear from the bunch quite early in the race. The bunch controlled the gap at the four-minute-mark, before Jonas Koch launched an attack with about 100km to go. Just a few kilometers later a group around Marco Haller joined Jonas Koch and a 13-men chasing group was formed including two BORA – hansgrohe riders. While the gap to the leading group was now sitting at two minutes, the bunch was 30 seconds behind the chasing group. Also Nils Politt tried at this point to bridge across to the chasers but just couldn’t make it before being caught again. When the chasing group finally closed the gap to the early breakaway at the foot of the Oude Kwaremont, Tadej Pogacar attacked from the bunch and the race literally exploded.
After some moves, five riders went away first, before only Pogacar and Van der Poel remained at the front. Behind in the chasing group unfortunately first Jonas Koch was dropped, before some kilometers later also Marco Haller couldn’t hang on anymore and even crashed in one of the last downhills. While Van der Poel and Pogacar played poker in the end and allowed a first chasing group to catch up with only 200m remaining, Danny van Poppel moved steadily up in the race. In the end M. Van der Poel won the Tour of Flanders 2022, while Danny finished the race in 16th place, sprinting to second from the first main bunch.
From the finish line:
"At the beginning my legs didn’t feel good today. But I know this race, you have to stay calm and just keep on riding. When Jonas and Marco were part of the chasing group we have been in a promising position. But when Pogacar attacked everything turned around. At this point I was relatively far back, but I said to myself: stay focused, ride from climb to climb. On the last 10 kilometers we caught some groups back and, in the end, I contested the sprint for 15th place. I can be happy with my race today. My legs got better towards the end, and I think the result was the optimum today." – Danny van Poppel
"We can be proud of ourselves today. The boys showed moral and spirit and animated the race. They executed our plan well and when Jonas and Marco were part of the chasing group it looked quite promising. With a little bit of luck, the group may gains one or two minutes and then the result in the end probably would have been different. The positive trend we saw the last races is clearly commencing. Of course, we are not where we expect ourselves, but we know the reasons why. After all those illnesses and crashes we can just take it week by week and keep on working. Until Roubaix it’s now two weeks and I am sure we’ll keep on progressing." – Torsten Schmidt, sports director
And here's the Flanders report from Team Lotto Soudal:
Lotto Soudal has showed itself during the 106th Ronde van Vlaanderen but couldn’t clinch a top result in Oudenaarde. Both Tim Wellens and Victor Campenaerts rode an attentive final of ‘Vlaanderens Mooiste’, but had to settle for minor placings.
An impressive setting to start to the 106th edition of the great race. Sirotti photo
Not long after the official start in Antwerpen a front group of nine riders formed, where Lotto Soudal was represented by the young Belgian Sébastien Grignard. In the peloton, things remained relatively calm until the Berendries, where a sizeable group attacked. Lotto Soudal also had to deal with bad luck at the Ronde. Brent Van Moer, Florian Vermeersch and Cedric Beullens were involved in a crash at around 80 kilometres from the finish. Fortunately, the three were able to continue their way and made it to the finish in Oudenaarde. At first sight, there are no serious injuries.
Tim Wellens realised the danger of this move and bridged to that group, together with two other riders. The 30-year-old Belgian joined the group just before a second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, where the race-decisive move formed. A front group of five took shape with Van der Poel, Pogacar, Madouas, Wright and Van Baarle. The Lotto Soudal duo Wellens-Campenaerts found itself in a sizeable chasing group. During a final time up the Oude Kwaremont, Van der Poel and Pogacar showed their cards. Nobody could follow the Dutchman and Slovenian, who played poker sprinting for the win in Oudenaarde. It was Van der Poel who won his second Ronde, chasers Van Baarle and Madouas prevented – somewhat surprising – Pogacar from finishing on the podium. Victor Campenaerts was the first Lotto Soudal rider to finish, on 33rd place.
Victor Campenaerts: “I saved my energy until Berg Ten Houte, where I did a first serious effort. The second climb of the Oude Kwaremont was done at a furious pace but I still felt quite good there. Afterwards, it was just a case of following. Together with Tim, I was in a relatively good position but the strongest riders were gone. Then, it became clear that I was running out of energy. Maybe I am still too much of a time trialist to get a good result at the Ronde. As I have said before, I just lack that little endurance to go well in these Monuments.”
Tim Wellens bridged impressively to an interesting move just before the second time up the Oude Kwaremont but realised he didn’t have great climbing legs today.
“I didn’t feel amongst the strongest riders uphill so I needed to anticipate today. That worked out quite well but I met the ‘Man with the Hammer’ during the final Oude Kwaremont and the chance to still take a good result was gone”, says Tim Wellens.
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