On Sunday will take place the only WT (or .Pro) race ridden in the country of utilitarian cycling. It loops within the hills of the south of Dutch Limburg, an area located between Maastricht and Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) that is a sort of northern piedmont of the Ardennes. It is rarely flat, always going up and down over small hills.
PCS page
This year, the race seems strangely avoided both by Flandriens who need a rest after their races, and by the other top guys who wait a few days more for the 'real' Ardennaises. That leaves Evenepoel🇧🇪 as only mutant or semi-mutant.
Last year's winner, Skjelmose🇩🇰 will be there, but he's been so-so in Basque Country. Vauquelin🇫🇷 and Aranburu🇪🇸 are also coming from the Basque Country.
We just saw Grégoire🇫🇷 and Schmid🇨🇭 on the Flèche Brabançonne, we shall see them again after a day of rest. Jorgenson🇺🇸 is coming back after a month of rest.
According to the Danish cycling expert Emil Axelgaard, these are the favourites:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Remco Evenepoel
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Matteo Jorgenson, Mattias Skjelmose
⭐⭐⭐ Romain Gregoire, Benoit Cosnefroy, Kevin Vauquelin, Paul Lapeira, Ben Tulett
⭐⭐ Andrea Vendrame, Alex Baudin, Quinn Simmons, Mauro Schmid, Clement Champoussin, Alex Aranburu, Axel Lauance, Andreas Kron, Jordan Labrosse, Ion Izagirre, Tibor del Grosso, Albert Withen Philipsen
⭐ Dorian Godon, Antoine L’Hote, Pello Bilbao, Mauri Vansevenant, Alexander Kamp, Quinten Hermans, Simone Velasco, Valentin Madouas, Anthon Charmig, Natnael Tesfatsion, Anders Johannnessen, Brady Gilmore
We shall see if the peloton or chasers will organise, or if they will push/attack each other in each climb, preventing any organisation once each top is reached.
In the Brabant Arrow, it was a miracle that the breakaway was always almost in sight and that the splits in climbs within the peloton were very small and that they found some good will to pull after each climb, given the fact that as usual there were attacks at the front of the bunch at each climb.
I don't remember a classic where the chase was lead intelligently (there certainly has been, I just can't remember now). The Uno-X group rode intelligently in Basque Country last stage, but it was a breakaway, not a main peloton, and it wasn't made of 90% leaders like the best group in classics often is.
Tulett won't start, another of those mysterious illnesses at Visma.
The 3-star level thus becomes a 100% French level 😄