The “Holy Week” of Belgian cycling got underway this Friday at the E3 Saxo Classic, a proper rehearsal for the Tour of Flanders. Keen to play an active role in the race, Groupama-FDJ United first put Bastien Tronchon in the breakaway, and the Frenchman managed to stay clear until the Oude Kwaremont, around forty kilometers from the finish. He was then joined by four of his teammates in a peloton chasing Mathieu van der Poel, who nevertheless went on to take victory. In the sprint for the remaining places, Thibaud Gruel ultimately finished fifteenth.
Just over a week before the “Ronde” and two weeks ahead of “Hell of the North,” almost all the Flemish Classics specialists were present at the start in Harelbeke this Friday for the opening of the cobbled fortnight. It all began with the E3 Saxo Classic, featuring sixteen climbs and four cobbled sectors over 208 kilometres. The Taaienberg, Paterberg, and Vieux Quaremont were among the key moments on the route, but many teams were already looking to anticipate the main battle, as was the case for Groupama-FDJ United. After thirty kilometres of fighting, Bastien Tronchon then managed to make his way to the front of the race. He was joined by five other riders, but it took nearly another half hour of effort before the peloton finally let them go. The gap then grew beyond three minutes, reaching a maximum of 3’30. It held steady at that level at mid-race, just before tackling the Oude Kruisberg and the almost continuous sequence of climbs. In the peloton, tension steadily increased, particularly approaching the Taaienberg, 70 kilometres from the line. The gap then dropped to just 2’30 while two riders broke away from the pack, including Mathieu van der Poel, who soon launched a solo chase behind the breakaway.
“I think we were really strong as a team” – Romain Grégoire
At the front, Bastien Tronchon and his fellow escapees continued to work well together, but they could not prevent the Dutch favorite from catching them at the top of the Kapelberg, 45 kilometres from the finish, just before heading onto the Paterberg. At that point, a peloton of around fifty riders was only one minute behind, with Romain Grégoire, Valentin Madouas, Thibaud Gruel, and Axel Huens among them. Up front, van der Poel did not hesitate, immediately accelerating on the Paterberg before definitively going clear on the Oude Quaremont. “Bastien didn’t miss much to come over the top with Dewulf, which would have resulted in him holding onto the chase group that formed afterwards,” explained Frédéric Guesdon. While the leader was engaged in a solo effort of more than forty kilometres, counterattacks multiplied in the peloton. As soon as he was caught, Bastien Tronchon even tried to launch another move approaching the penultimate climb of the day, but it was ultimately a trio that broke clear at the summit. Just behind, Romain Grégoire attempted to bridge across with a slight delay and eventually missed the move. This group eventually caught Dewulf and led the chase behind van der Poel over the final thirty kilometres.
Within the peloton, the chase also got underway slightly later, driven by Groupama-FDJ United. “I think we were really strong as a team,” said Romain. “We had five riders in the main peloton at the end, so we had to take responsibility and try to go for a result in the sprint, especially with Thibaud. We tried to pull, and I think we could have come back if a few more teams had joined forces.” Although the gaps narrowed in the final, and Mathieu van der Poel lost much of his advantage, the peloton ultimately failed to come back. The Dutchman took victory after a tense final kilometre, while a group of around thirty riders sprinted for sixth place, twenty-four seconds later. Thibaud Gruel finished 15th. “We took our responsibilities. It didn’t necessarily work out in the sprint, but I think we did what we had to do,” Romain added. “We’re disappointed with the result because I think we rode a good race,” said Frédéric. “The guys feel they deserved a better result, and they know how important that is for the team and for this group. They stepped up but weren’t rewarded.”
“Optimistic for what’s next”– Frédéric Guesdon
Valentin Madouas (26th), Romain Grégoire (29th), and Axel Huens (31st), active in the final, also finished in the peloton this Friday, while Bastien Tronchon came in a bit further back after emptying himself in the chase. “I got sick before the first Classics, and the start of my season didn’t live up to my expectations,” Bastien said. “Clearly, things are improving, and this race really boosted my confidence. Now I need to recover.” Racing on this terrain for the first time, Romain Grégoire added: “It was as hard as I expected. I wasn’t at my best on the climbs, so I suffered a bit.”“I think he still lacks a bit of confidence,” Frédéric concluded. “He’s less comfortable on cobbled climbs and needs to learn how to handle them, but he was still in the mix for his first time. We even had five riders up front, and almost all of them were young. Romain, Thibaud, and Axel were all riding their first E3. From that point of view, it’s a positive day, and it makes us optimistic for what’s next, even if I believe we deserved much better.”
