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Sagan triumphant in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne

Duchesne and Boivin in the day's breakaway

February 26, 2017
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Stymied in Saturday’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, world champion Peter Sagan took his first Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne title Sunday, winning in a sprint from a five-man move. It was Sagan and his Bora-Hansgrohe team’s first victory of the season.

The second race of the Opening Weekend, the 1.HC-rated KBK–a race spelled at least three different ways–tends to be a semi-Classic for the sprinters despite the 12 hills and four cobbled sections. The crucial climbs are the Cote du Trieu, the Oude Kwaremont and the Kluisberg, though there are three more hellingen after this trio. Two 15.3-km laps of flat riding completes the course.


It was announced before the start that three-time winner Tom Boonen, who was involved with a couple of crashes in Saturday’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and didn’t finish, wouldn’t start KBK due to illness.

The first couple of breakaways failed due to the pace of the peloton, but at the 65-km mark, a sextet of fugitives with Antoine Duchesne (Direct Energie) shuffled away, soon to be joined by three including Guillaume Boivin of the Israel Cycling Academy. The escapees quickly established a 4:30 gap.

After some controversy about the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad podium finishers riding on the sidewalk when race organizers warned the riders not to, people were scrutinizing Sunday’s race.


Back in the peloton, there was decisive action, with Zdenek Stybar (Czech Republic/Quick Step) and Tiesj Benoot (Belgium/Lotto Soudal) shaking loose on the Kwaremont. The move split the peloton, with a group of 30 becoming the favourites group with Sagan and Van Avermaet in its midst. In the breakaway, only Duchesne remained of the two Canadians.


Boivin came down in a crash with Tony Martin (Germany/Katusha) and another rider.

By the penultimate climb, with 55-km to go, the gap from the elite group and the escapees was only 50-seconds. Duchesne did a lot of the heavy lifting to keep the breakaway clear.


Just before the circuits started, the Van Avermaet-Sagan chase pulled in the break, the Direct Energie-led main peloton only 28-seconds behind. BMC and Quick Step had plenty of men in the leading group of 25, but Sagan had no teammates to help.

On the first circuit, reigning champion Jasper Stuyven (Belgium/Trek-Segafredo) bolted and found Sagan, Benoot, Luke Rowe (Great Britain/Sky) Matteo Trentin (Italy/Quick Step) for company. BMC laboured to bring them back.


With 5-km to go and 39-seconds back to the BMC pursuit, it was clear that the winner would come from the quintet. The riders worked an efficient but nervous paceline. Their speed decreased and they began to play cat and mouse, tightening their shoes.

At the red kite Trentin was forced to the front where he attacked. Sagan closed the gap and then hit the turbo from 250-km out to wear his first Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne crown.

Four of the six Canadian entrants finished in a pack 19-seconds behind Sagan, with Boivin the top Canuck in 55th.

The next big one-day race is next weekend. Saturday sees the first WorldTour inclusion of the Strade Bianche for the men; the ladies’ edition kicks of the 2017 Women’s WorldTour.

2017 Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
1) Peter Sagan (Slovakia/Bora-Hansgrohe) 4:37:39
2) Jasper Stuyven (Belgium/Trek-Segafredo) s.t.
3) Luke Rowe (Great Britain/Sky) s.t.
55) Guillaume Boivin (Canada/Israel Cycling Academy) +0:19
57) Antoine Duchesne (Canada/Direct Energie) s.t.
62) Ryan Anderson (Canada/Direct Energie) s.t.
63) Hugo Houle (Canada/AG2R) s.t.
124) Svein Tuft (Canada/Orica-Scott) +9:28