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.
When Evenepoel (🇧🇪 Bora) meets a bunch of wallies, the result is almost certain.
My first facepalm was Grégoire🇫🇷's attack. He couldn't have done something more perfect for the Belgian, who didn't even need to attack nor have his team attack or prepare an attack for him. I told right then that the race was over (although Skjelmose (🇩🇰 Lidl-Trek) made me doubt later).
Special award to Vauquelin (🇫🇷 Ineos) who wiped out two thirds of the possible contenders in his crash...
Second facepalm was relaying Evenepoel🇧🇪 despite the fact that they were stronger than the groups behind and could have broken away again if needed in case they would stop pulling and return to those groups. It became even more problematic when it was just a trio, and Grégoire🇫🇷 was still passing good relays while the gap behind was growing. And then he kept on relaying even after he displayed obvious sign of being the weakest of the trio...
In the 'chase' nobody but Cosnefroy (🇫🇷 UAE) and another rider were actually chasing. Of course Costiou (🇫🇷 FDJ) and Withen (🇩🇰 Lidl-trek) were not going to relay as they both had a man ahead (this became more disputable for Costiou🇫🇷 after Grégoire🇫🇷 was dropped from the front), but the other ones...
Third facepalm was Skjelmose🇩🇰's attitude in the last miles. The gap was HUGE, he could have played with Evenepoel🇧🇪's nerves as much as he wanted. Yet he kept on relaying before the Cauberg. More surprisingly, he didn't attack in the Cauberg; I was expecting him to try his luck there as he had almost always looked superior in the climbs; and then he relayed again in the last 2 miles; and then he even lead the duo into the last kilometre... After the line, he even apologised to the Belgian about something I didn't understand.
Exact same final result as 2 days ago for Cosnefroy🇫🇷 and Grégoire🇫🇷. I don't know what to think about Costiou🇫🇷: he was pretty useless, but had he already been in a top group in a top classic before? I don't think so, and he had been so-so so far this season, so one could see the positive side of his race, and consider it a good performance. On the other hand, he only beat Frigo (🇮🇹 NSN) who had been in the breakaway for more than 250 km 🥵
By the way, we didn't get a single picture of what happened (or didn't happen) in the Cauberg among the group for the 3^rd^ place... 🙄
Skjelmose said in an interview with maybe the Danish press that he was cooked and expected to be left behind on Cauberg the last time, so I think he just had nothing left.
I was impressed by Albert Withen Philipsen, he's only 19. Not Seixas levels of impressed, but still a strong performance for a young man in a race over 200 km.
All the more reasons not to relay in the last 5 miles or so, then... They had a huge gap over the chasers, who had stopped chasing long ago (more or less when they caught Grégoire, even a bit before, once he was just a few seconds before them and letting himself recover a bit before being caught).
It was a case where there was absolutely no reason to collaborate: there was nothing to win, nothing to save, by collaborating. There was no GC at play, and he could have finished in wheelie and still not get caught by the Cosnefroy group.
The worse thing that could happen to him if he stopped relaying, was attacked and dropped, was to finish 2^nd^.
The worse thing that could happen to him if he attacked and blew up, was to finish 2^nd^.
The worst thing that could happen if he refused to relay after the Cauberg and to lead in the final km, was to finish 2^nd^.
He finished 2^nd^. And didn't even piss Remco off for our enjoyment 😃 And that's the biggest reason for to blame Skjelmose! 🤣
What's most ironical, is that Skjelmose used to have the reputation of being an horrible wheelsucker. After having progressively lost this habit, he now cannot remember how to perform it any more! 🤣🤣
On a side note, I don't know if any of them could ascertain whether they were really cooked or not: they had maintained this same regular pace for 20 km or so. Beside a few slight accelerations by Evenepoel, there was no attack, no test to know how they could respond or not. Sometimes an attack can 'unlock' your legs from a numbing pace. Actually if we enlarge the picture, there was basically only a single attack in the whole race at the top-guys level: the one by Grégoire at more than 40 km, which sealed the fate of the race; the rest was only decided by Vauquelin's crash and later by Grégoire not following the pace after making a stupidly, pointlessly strong relay on the flat preceding the climb where he would be dropped.
Vastly over 200 km, yes! Given Skjelmose's presence at the front, he just had to stay in the wheels all along, but I think he chased a couple of attacks, didn't he?
Do you know how Kragh Andersen was expelled from the group? The two Spaniards Bilbao and Izagirre had a puncture, and Baudin blew up after he helped Cosnefroy and also attacked at some point.
Coming back to Withen. Reflecting a bit more about this chase group, I don't know how we should grade the performance, in fact; and the same applies to Costiou. If we look at the group, quite a few no-names were in it: I am thinking of the two Alpecin riders who are laso young and (so far) rather anonymous; and there was Frigo and its 250 km breakaway who was not only holding fine in the wheels, but had enough left to attack a couple of times. We had Costiou himself, who was beaten by many Pro-Team riders a week earlier. The majority of the guys in the group only sucked wheels for 30 km, too. Then there is the general context as well: the weakest startlist in ages on Amstel (in PCS terms, the weakest in 30 years! and even then there were more top guys), and then the present top contenders were decimated by Vauquelin's crash (broken collarbone for Jorgenson on his first race in a while, BTW...) The only rider who stood out is Cosnefroy, as he pulled the group the most, and still managed to win the sprint; it's hard to judge other riders' performances.
Anyway, the validation for long races holds. I just mean that the configuration of the race today was special, and perhaps our first impression about the performance of the members of this group was a bit too flattering and may give excessively high hopes for future races.
I don't know what happened to Laporte either. A crash, I presume. First Visma rider: 100^th^ 🧐
I suppose, but we don't know if he did "proper" pulls or just alibi-pulls. In any case, Skjelmose is usually one of the faster finishers amongst his peers; if he'd had anything left in the tank I think he would beat Remco 9 sprints out of 10. Well, maybe 7 sprints out of 10.
Perhaps, but I saw Albert Philipsen chase down 3-4 attacks in the last 8 kms - surely there was no need to do that with Skjelmose 1½ minute up ahead. I think he could have podiumed without expending that energy. I agree that the field was a little weak this year, but it was a good race none the less.
The women's race was also very entertaining.
Yeah, but the lead in the last km is a big mistake even if it wasn't a 'pull' of some sort. If we look at the previous accelerations by Evenepoel in the climbs, the Belgian was always in leading position when he did them, and Skjelmose was making all efforts needed to stick to his wheel during the initial phase of acceleration. The same Van Aert was doing in Paris-Roubaix each time Pogatchar accelerated in front of him on cobbled sections or small humps: he was putting everything, even if that meant going into red zone, in the first seconds; because once he managed to stick to the Slovenian's wheel for those few seconds and not allow a gap to open, most danger was avoided, as next phase was bearable if he was still in the wheels.
And that's exactly what was made impossible by leading the last km. Even if you watch your opponent carefully, you have to produce your acceleration in the wind, in parallel with the guy taking you over, instead of benefiting of his draft during the initial phase where they put the more power. And then you have a few metres gap, and you're fucked, for Evenepoel/Pogatchar can still maintain a fair level of power.
OK you confirm he chased a few attacks. For the rest, it is difficult to form an opinion, as we couldn't see anything of the behaviour of that group in the Cauberg.
Oh yeah, it was OK, both facts are independent (generally).