Deceuninck-Quick Step masterclass at “mini-Tour of Flanders” E3 Saxo Bank Classic

Deceuninck-Quick Step cracked the riddle of how to beat Wout Van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel: sheer numbers. Danish champion Kasper Asgreen won the opening race of the Flanders Fortnight, Friday’s “mini-Tour of Flanders” E3 Saxo Bank Classic. Quick Step has now claimed the last three editions of the E3, known previously as E3 Harelbeke (although it still starts and finishes in Harebeke). The E3 race was one of the competitions cancelled last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The top Canadian was Ben Perry in 76th.

The Course

The E3 is known as a “mini-Tour of Flanders” as it contains several of the same cobbles, hills and cobbled hills as the Monument. Including four cobbled sections, and 16 hills, six of which were cobbled, the first action usually begins on 600-metre, 5 percent Taaienberg with 80 km remaining of the 204 km length. The set of cobbled hills that usually prove decisive are the Eikenberg, the short but steep Paterberg and the Oude Kwaremont. After Oude Kwaremont, there’s still 38 km to race, and in that stretch comes two hills with a cobbled sector sandwiched between them. Strong winds were expected.

The cobbles are back today, and with them, one of the toughest #E3SaxoBankClassic editions in history. 17 hills are on the 203.9km course, including the Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont, which will be tackled in the last 40 kilometers. pic.twitter.com/bfGslXZ24Q

— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) March 26, 2021

Organizers were also employing some more modern, safer barriers in the finishing stretch.

This is absolutely fantastic to see! Big respect to @E3SaxoClassic with these upgraded barriers. I would love to see more of this! pic.twitter.com/Xpu5vCHF0I

— Sam Bennett (@Sammmy_Be) March 26, 2021

Two moves merged into one around the first hill and soon there was a dozen-strong breakaway off and running. Niki Terpstra, the 2018 winner, was in the mix.

The peloton didn’t wait for the Taaienberg to start skirmishing, with surges on Knokteberg in the wind chopping the field to pieces. By the Taaienberg the gap to the fugitives was only a minute. Deceuninck-Quick Step applied the pressure heading to its entrance.

Quick Step created a small group in which it had superior numbers to battle Van Aert, van der Poel and Michael Matthews. This elite group hooked up with the breakaway. Van Aert suffered an untimely mechanical and, back in the peloton, he had to rely on his teammates to bring him back over at 65 km to go. This was van der Poel’s cue to dash away, but he soon turned off the jets.

Asgreen went clear on the Eikenberg, with the reduced peloton back together behind him.

On the Stationsberg, van der Poel skipped away again, drawing Van Aert and Zdenek Stybar. Once more it came to naught. On the way to the Paterberg, Asgreen was still away, a six-rider counterattack was 30 seconds back and the peloton was a minute in arrears.

The Paterberg was the setting for another Van Aert/van der Poel move, this time with Greg van Avermaet and Stybar.

Stybar had two teammates ahead and Van Aermaet had one, so they didn’t have to work. Asgreen started the mighty Oude Kwaremont with 20 seconds on the first chase. The Van Aert/van der Poel quartet reached the chase group.

With 27 km remaining, the Van Aert/van der Poel gang received two more reinforcements. Quick Step now had four of the 13 riders at the business end of the race, with Asgreen still solo out front and his gap growing on the final sector of cobbles.

The day’s final climb was the Tiegemberg. Van Aert attacked but then blew up, leaving van der Poel to carry on the move. Asgreen was finally lassoed with 12 km to race. There were three Quick Step riders, two from AG2R-Citroën, Dylan van Baarle and van der Poel in the group. Van Aert’s chasing quintet wouldn’t make the junction.

Quick Step started the hostilities with 5 km to go, Asgreen skipping away again. AG2R’s Oliver Naesen lit out after him, carrying Stybar. But this and other moves, with Stybar and Florian Senechal following easily, condemned the chase to fighting it out for podium moves.

Asgreen prevailed and Senechal came runner up. Van der Poel had to be satisfied with third.

The cobbles and hills return on Sunday for the 83rd Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields. A week after that comes the second Monument of the season, the Tour of Flanders, with the Dwars door Vlaanderen in between.

2021 E3 Saxo Bank Classic
1) Kasper Asgreen (Denmark/Deceuninck-Quick Step) 4:42:37
2) Florian Senechal (France/Deceuninck-Quick Step) +0:32
3) Mathieu van der Poel (The Netherlands/Alpecin-Fenix) s.t.
76) Ben Perry (Canada/Astana-Premier Tech) +12:47