The second round of the Flemish Classics lived up to all expectations this Sunday. From Ypres to Wevelgem, the riders had very little break, as the first part of the race was livened up by echelons before the Kemmelberg and the “plugstreets” really opened up the race. Mads Pedersen eventually won solo ahead of a small peloton, in which Clément Russo took thirteenth place.
Two days after the E3 Saxo Classic, the cobbled Classics campaign continued with Gent-Wevelgem this Sunday, across a 250-kilometer course that included three ascents of the Kemmelberg, as well as a few unpaved roads with seventy kilometres to go. In addition to these initial difficulties, the weather conditions in this 87th edition also had to be taken into account, and the riders got a proof of it after one hundred kilometres, while a nine-man breakaway was leading the way. “We knew it would be a tough race because the wind direction was perfect for it to happen,” said Frédéric Guesdon. “The start was fast, then we got to this famous area of De Moeren, where there were crosswinds, and where we therefore witnessed some echelons.” A first peloton of thirty riders broke away, and two Groupama-FDJ riders, Cyril Barthe and Clément Russo, managed to catch the right move. “In this kind of race, you always have to fight to stay in the right position and approach the race the right way,” explained Clément. “That’s what I managed to do. It was hard to stay all together, but I thought that if I could stay in front, it could give the others a point of reference. I rode in front all day, and that brought me far into the race.”
“We lost Paul due to a puncture”, Frédéric Guesdon
A thirty-kilometre battle then took place between the various groups, before a second, larger peloton eventually managed to come across with 120 kilometres to go. A few minutes later, Johan Jacobs took advantage of a moment of hesitation to anticipate the first ascent of the Kemmelberg, but the Swiss rider was unable to maintain his effort “He was forced to stop quite early because of illness, just like Sven who was unwell today,” explained Frédéric. On the first ascent of the Kemmelberg, the favorites showed themselves, 85 kilometers from the finish, but the difference only came about ten kilometers later on the “plugstreets.” Mads Pedersen broke away and caught the breakaway, while the peloton found itself slightly disorganized. Valentin Madouas, Clément Russo and Cyril Barthe were still there. “There were groups everywhere after this sequence,” explained Frédéric. “We also lost Paul due to a puncture on the gravel sectors while he was in the main group and that everything was still possible for him.” With the race underway, the young sprinter never got the opportunity to come back. At the front, Mads Pedersen took a one-minute advantage over the peloton after the second ascent of the Kemmelberg. A peloton from which Valentin Madouas briefly tried to escape before the third ascent, with about forty kilometres to go.
“I really enjoyed the race today”, Clément Russo
Finally, the “pack” bunched up after this final climb, but the leader had a two-minute gap. From then on, the chase went full gas, but the Dane held off a pack of around fifty riders, including Valentin Madouas and Clément Russo. In Wevelgem, the rest of the field competed for the podium and the top 10, and Clément Russo got into the mix and claimed thirteenth place. “I tried to sprint, but I was a bit cooked,” he said. “I managed it as best as I could. It’s not amazing, but it’s still a good result. More importantly, I really enjoyed the race today, and that bodes well for the future. In the Classics, you need to have good legs to enjoy yourself, and that was the case today, so I’m really happy.” “He had a great race and it’s a decent result,” concluded Frédéric. “We were hoping for a bit better at the start, either through a breakaway with Valentin or a sprint with Paul. In the end, only Pedersen broke away and our sprinter was ruled out because of a puncture… We have two great Classics left in Belgium, on Wednesday and Sunday. The group is in good form, they showed it. Now we need a bit more luck to get a good result.”
