After his show of supreme dominance on the E3 Basic on Friday, a lot of the speak going into Gent-Wevelgem was round whether or not or not Mathieu van der Poel was beatable. Final yr, the query was how do you disrupt the successful machine that was Visma-Lease a Bike. This yr, it is the Classics successful 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 superb tuned at E3, and it got here collectively completely on Sunday.
One rider’s, or group’s, dominance in any subject of racing could make for a considerably boring affair for these watching on. Fortuitously, Lidl-Trek appear to have grabbed their newfound standing with each arms 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 to be like Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven are set to comply with swimsuit within the males’s subject within the coming weeks too.
In addition to this, we’ve got picked out another plotlines to comply with 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 group’s Basic success final yr. Since becoming a member of from Cofidis, Laporte has change into an important cog within the Visma-Lease a Bike machine and a key ally to the likes of Wout van Aert as they go in quest of Flanders and Roubaix victory.
The group introduced on Monday that Laporte has been dominated out of Dwars door Vlaanderen, a race he received final yr, and the Tour of Flanders this week in what’s going to come as a hammer blow to Van Aert’s massive plans.
In accordance with Visma-Lease a Bike, Laporte is struggling with a abdomen bug in addition to a problematic saddle sore.
Since successful Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Opening Weekend, the group has struggled to reassert its dominance within the races that adopted. A spate of sickness and damage affecting key riders has been the principle concern 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 can be highlighted as Van Aert’s potential proper hand man as an alternative.
Lidl-Trek proceed to flex their tactical muscle groups
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Numbers is the important thing, based on 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 group had each in abundance final weekend and the core of the squad will nearly actually 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 prepared because the Alpecin duo to bury themselves for each other, a high quality not all groups are fortunate to own.
Anticipate to see their tactical plan proceed to collect 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 right 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 girls’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 final consensus appears to be to go lengthy in an effort to put them underneath strain, or ignite the ultimate kilometres as SD Worx look to assemble their dash practice for Lorena Wiebes. Each Movistar and FDJ-Suez threw warning to the wind and did simply that within the closing levels of Sunday’s girls’s version of Gent-Wevelgem.
Wiebes obtained the win, however in the end she was made to work for it. Firstly Emma Norsgaard and Floortje Mackaij obtained up the highway in a bid to shake issues up and pressure a few of 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 practice. In the end, it wasn’t to be, however even when it is not Brown, others may have been buoyed by Movistar and FDJ’s ways final weekend and will strive 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 skills 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 degree bike racing.
Pithie backed that up final weekend at Gent-Wevelgem, getting amongst it and chucking his weight round towards the likes of Van der Poel and Pedersen as they seemed to contest the win. He seemed proper at dwelling too and under no circumstances fazed by the calibre of rider he was up towards.
The New Zealander pale because the race reached its conclusion however can 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 finest hope of victory in these settings on the cobbles.
Alongside up and coming British professional Sam Watson, the French group might have fairly some firepower within the races to return.
Puck Pieterse takes intention at Monument victory
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Off-road star Puck Pieterse remains to be comparatively new to highway racing, however is already exhibiting herself to be fairly the match for a few of the disciplines greatest names.
The Dutch rider completed seventh at Gent-Wevelgem, her longest highway race so far, and has already began to speak herself up as a possible Flanders winner. Pieterse has already podiumed this season towards Lotte Kopecky, Elisa Balsamo and Wiebes and proven that she is effectively at dwelling on the WorldTour.
Flanders is about 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 last outing this yr.
“With the way it’s going now, after all, you need to dream of the very best and I feel we’ve got a extremely good group,” she stated.
“We labored very well collectively right here at Gent-Wevelgem, so I feel even successful is feasible.”
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