A scenario similar to that of the Spring Classics, dear to Johan Jacobs, unfolded this Saturday on the SUPER 8 Classic in Belgium. The 28-year-old Swiss man was therefore up there between Brakel and Haacht, especially when the decision occurred almost 80 kilometres from the finish line. The Groupama-FDJ rider then fought until the end to maintain his place in a small group of favourites, and eventually took eleventh place in the sprint.
From west to east, the SUPER 8 Classic peloton was set to head south around Brussels on Saturday to complete the 200 kilometers on the day’s menu. Although many sprinters were present at the start, the fifteen or so hills did not clearly favor a bunch sprint at the end of the course. “There was a strong startlist, and we could expect an offensive race,” explained William Green. “So we took that into consideration. Our objective was mainly around Paul and Cyril, but Lewis and Johan also had an open role on the circuit.” Yet, while four men joined the day’s breakaway, the race really opened up when the first climbs of the second half of the race were tackled, nearly 85 kilometres from the finish. “It’s exactly what we expected,” said William. “Some were focused on the circuit, but it was hard beforehand, and when Visma-Lease a Bike went very hard, we had Paul and Johan in a group of about thirty riders. Unfortunately, the pace was very high, and Paul couldn’t sustain it. He’s pretty good on this terrain, but repeated and intense efforts at this level were perhaps a bit too much for him.”
“Johan did a really great ride,” William Green
In a strong group of around twenty riders, Johan Jacobs did everything he could to follow the wheels, especially in the first Moskesstraat-Holstheide-Smeysberg sequence. “Most teams had two or three riders in this group, including a sprinter, so Johan didn’t have to pull,” William added. Some thirty kilometres further up, the main peloton was almost a minute behind this very solid breakaway, and Johan Jacobs had to fight really hard when Arnaud De Lie tried to break away on the second time up Moskesstraat. “Entering the second lap, some teams started to close the gap, and we were trying to take advantage of that if it did come back because we had Cyril there,” said William. “However, when you have a group this big pulling in the front and over this terrain with punchy climbs, it’s pretty difficult to come across”. After the last proper climb of the day, the early breakaway was caught by the chasing group, which still included Johan Jacobs, while the peloton was still thirty seconds behind. A power struggle took place for about ten kilometres, and the first group got the better of the pack.
It was a then reduced group finish for the twenty leading riders, despite some attempts to anticipate in the break. Arnaud De Lie took the victory, while Johan Jacobs joined the sprint. “It’s not every day that he is in this scenario but finishing in the top 10 was a realistic goal for us,” added William. “He’s just outside (11th). Perhaps some small improvements could have been done in the positioning, being a little bit further up, but you need to be in this situation repeatedly to make the improvement and have the confidence. In any case, he did a really great ride today when you see the calibre of the riders in this front group and how he managed his effort from such a long distance from the finish and being on his own. The day’s balance is positive. Paul also showed during the early attacks that the mindset is there and it’s a good sign ahead of the Grand Prix d’Isbergues tomorrow.”
